


surrender to your darkest dreams (let your fantasies unwind)

by blackrose1002, BlackVultures



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Anal Sex, Angst, Blow Jobs, Bondage, Butt Plugs, Cock Rings, Dildos, Dubious Consent, Electrocution, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Feelings, Flogging, Horseback Riding, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, Kidnapping, Love Confessions, M/M, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Porn With Plot, Reunions, Rough Sex, Sex Toys, Spanking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:40:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 26,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26328793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackrose1002/pseuds/blackrose1002, https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackVultures/pseuds/BlackVultures
Summary: His pulse pounded faster and he licked his lips, the salty aftertaste of Rohypnol or something like it hitting his tongue. Being abducted was bad enough, but doing it with someone else wasn't ideal, especially if the person turned out to be a civilian. They tended to panic, which didn't help in these situations, but as Mac stared at the peach-colored wall across from him, he heard them start to move around. He wasn't quite ready for that, but he figured they might have as well gotten acquainted."Hey," he started in a grating rasp, then cleared his throat and tried again. "Are you okay? Did they drug you too?"The sounds suddenly stopped, as if that person stilled completely, and then Mac's heart basically stopped when the person spoke, "Afraid so, hoss."(Or the one where Mac and Jack get kidnapped... and are forced to do a lot of things)
Relationships: Jack Dalton/Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016), James MacGyver/Matilda "Matty" Webber, Riley Davis/Desiree "Desi" Nguyen
Comments: 35
Kudos: 119





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there!
> 
> So I know Sammy just posted one of our new fics, and it just so happens that I finished putting together another one... so here we go, you get two treats!
> 
> Just a warning for the dubious consent tag: the sex Jack and Mac is consensual... but it's exactly their own choice. I know it's vague, but I don't want to spoil the fic too much. I'm going to update the tags before I post a new chapter because oh boy, some stuff goes down.
> 
> But we really hope you like it! ♥
> 
> The title is from the song "The Music of the Night" from the Phantom of the Opera.

If Angus MacGyver had a dollar for every time he woke up in a locked room with a pounding headache, he would be a rich man. Well, richer than he already was since with all of his patents he already _was_ kind of loaded, but that wasn't the point.

Groaning, he forced himself to stay awake and he rolled on his side, closing his eyes and taking a few deep breaths, trying to remember what happened. He had been getting coffee in one of the cafes not far from the Phoenix and when he had walked out of there he had taken a sip... and he didn't remember much more. He had gotten drugged, that much was obvious, but before he could try to figure out what he had been drugged with, a sudden groan coming from somewhere in the room startled him and made him freeze.

His pulse pounded faster and he licked his lips, the salty aftertaste of Rohypnol or something like it hitting his tongue. Being abducted was bad enough, but doing it with someone else wasn't ideal, especially if the person turned out to be a civilian. They tended to panic, which didn't help in these situations, but as Mac stared at the peach-colored wall across from him, he heard them start to move around. He wasn't quite ready for that, but he figured they might have as well gotten acquainted.

"Hey," he started in a grating rasp, then cleared his throat and tried again. "Are you okay? Did they drug you too?"

The sounds suddenly stopped, as if that person stilled completely, and then Mac's heart basically stopped when the person spoke, "Afraid so, hoss."

Faster than he should have, Mac rolled on his other side, and even though he was dizzy and his world spun a little, there was no denying that the person sitting on the floor a few feet away was Jack. "Jack?" he gasped, and then he basically threw himself forward, crawling toward him until he could wrap his arms around his neck.

He was more or less in Jack's lap, but he didn't give a damn, muffling a sound that was almost a sob against his shoulder. He squeezed his eyes shut when Jack hugged him back a moment later, face pressed into Mac's hair. "What are you doing here?" Mac whispered after a moment, leaning back enough to see Jack's face. Even though they had been apart for almost two years now, he had barely changed - a few new lines around his eyes and a beard, but that was it. "I... I don't understand... I thought you were still overseas?"

"I was," Jack confirmed, and god, his _voice_ \- it sounded a bit rough thanks to the drugs, but it was just like Mac remembered, that soft, low rumble that he had missed and might have sometimes dreamed about it. "But we found Kovacs last week, he's... he's gone for good now." He gave Mac a weak smile, one that was supposed to hide that the mission had probably been rough and awful, but Mac saw right through it. "And I was on my way back, I was gonna surprise y'all... I remember gettin' out of LAX... nothin' after that, I woke up here."

Mac frowned. "It was the same thing for me," he said, one hand absently squeezing the back of Jack's neck. It was an intimate gesture, but he couldn't help himself, his inhibitions lowered thanks to the roofie. "I walked out of a cafe with my coffee and then... nothing." He turned his head - slowly this time - and looked around the room. It was a bedroom with a bathroom attached, but the openings where the windows should have been had been bricked over. "What the hell is this place?"

"No clue," Jack muttered, also looking around, and while Mac knew their situation was serious... he couldn't help but think about how much he had missed Jack and how happy he was to see him. "But if you're feelin' up for it... we should try and figure out a way out." Jack raised his eyebrow and smiled again, this time genuinely. "It's still how you do things, right? Figure things out and solve problems?"

Mac smiled back, lost for a moment in the deep brown sparkle of Jack's eyes. "Yeah, more or less." He used Jack's shoulders for support as he stood up, grasping Jack's hand to pull him up a moment later. That was when Mac saw exactly how ripped Jack was, his broad chest stretching out his t-shirt. "Wow, you look... really good."

Jack let out a startled laugh and either Mac was seeing things, or... Jack _blushed_. "Yeah, well... there's been a lot of runnin' around in the past two years," Jack said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "And a lot of... moving in general, so I might be in a better shape than I was when I left."

Mac swallowed hard, trying to hide his real reaction to seeing Jack like that - a very inappropriate one - but he was saved from having to come up with something to say when Jack looked over his shoulder and the expression on his face grew serious. "What the fuck?" he muttered under his breath, and Mac turned around, following his line of sight... and realizing that the bed he had seen from the floor was actually shaped as a huge heart.

A chill ran up Mac's spine, and it had nothing to do with how he could feel Jack's body heat against his back. He took a step closer to the bed, but other than its odd shape and the red velour comforter, it seemed normal. He looked around and realized there was no other furniture - and then something else struck him. "Jack... how did we get in here?" he asked, eyebrows drawing down. "There's no door."

Jack frowned and also glanced around. "I... have no idea," he said slowly. "Maybe through one of the windows and then someone bricked it over?"

"It's not a fresh work," Mac said after examining the windows. "So there's probably a secret door somewhere."

"And a camera," Jack pointed out grimly, looking up, and when Mac followed his gaze he saw a camera in one corner, near the ceiling.

Before they could discuss what to do next, however, a loud sound echoed around the room, almost like a... creaking of a microphone. "Angus MacGyver," a voice sounded from... somewhere, probably a hidden speaker. "Jack Dalton. Welcome."

The words were slightly distorted, like they were being run through a filter - that could mean it someone they knew, or maybe it was just to add to the atmosphere. "Who are you?" Mac asked, figuring the sound must have traveled both ways if their kidnapper had known when to interrupt them. "What do you want?"

"Look down at your left wrists," the voice instructed, and they both did. Mac's stomach dropped to the floor when he saw a heavy black cuff strapped around it. "Think of it like a shock collar, only with less potential for accidental death. If you disobey me at any point, you'll get to find out what it feels like."

Mac swallowed hard and immediately reached for the cuff with his other hand, unable to stop himself, and the voice reacted immediately, "I wouldn't do that if I were you, Angus." Mac did his best not to flinch at being called by his first name and he wondered how that person knew their identities.

"Dude, come on," Jack said, walking up closer to the camera, sounding pissed off. "What the hell do you want?"

"I'm glad you asked, Jack," the voice replied, and it sounded genuinely pleased, which was somehow worse than if it was detached and sociopathic. "I spend a lot of time observing people, and I've been watching Angus for quite some time now. It seems he needs someone to... take him down a peg. I thought about nabbing one of those pretty ladies he works with, or maybe that British gent, but none of them seemed... _right_ for the job. Not until you."

"Excuse me?" Jack basically hissed, and Mac was pretty sure he had never heard him sound like that. He swallowed hard and tried to ignore the very bad feeling he suddenly had about this, and also wondered how the hell he hadn't noticed someone was _watching_ him. "You're not making much sense, psycho - which is not that surprising - and as soon as I get my hands on you, you're gonna regret all of this."

"I would be delighted to see you try," the voice said, but any amusement was gone. "But unfortunately, that won't be happening. What _will_ be happening is that Angus is going to reach under the bed and pull out the surprise I've left for you." When Mac didn't move for several seconds, pain lanced up his arm, the electrical shock from his bracelet silent but agonizing. He wound up on his knees next to the bed, gritting his teeth to hold back a scream.

"Mac!" Jack was by his side in a second, one hand grabbing his shoulder while the other one slowly rubbed up and down his back.

"See, Angus? Not a very pleasant feeling, I imagine," the voice said, and Mac closed his eyes, taking a few deep breaths. Eventually he was able to stand up, Jack's hands steadying him, and one look at his partner - still, _always_ his partner - told him that Jack was as worried about this whole thing as he was. "Now, Angus, do as I say and reach under the bed."

Mac reluctantly did as he was told, and pulled a surprisingly large plastic tub out from under the bed. Inside it were granola bars, bottled water, various toiletries... and a bottle of lube. He was careful not to let his reaction to that item show on his face, and instead turned in the direction the voice has been coming from. "Okay, I did what you asked," he said, ignoring the hitch in Jack's breathing when he saw the lube sitting conspicuously among everything else. "Now what?"

"Oh, Angus, we all know you're a smart guy," the voice said, and Mac could tell its owner was smiling which was... pretty disturbing. "I'm sure you can figure it out."

Swallowing hard, Mac glanced at the plastic tub and its contents, but as hard as he tried, he was really not sure what their kidnappers wanted from them. There was one hysterical thought crossing his mind, but it was too surreal, so Mac forced himself to look away and forget about it. "I'm afraid you're gonna have to enlighten us," he gritted through his teeth.

"Hmmm, okay... oh! Remember earlier when I said you needed to be taken down a peg?" The voice sounded almost gleeful now, and the way its owner was cycling through emotions like channels on a TV was disturbing. "What I _really_ meant to say is you should _be_ pegged! Get it?" That made both Mac and Jack freeze, and when they didn't respond, the voice said, "Jack's going to fuck you, Angus. Whether you'd like him to or not."

Mac felt his blood freeze in his veins and he was too shocked to move, save for his hands that started trembling. "No," Jack said in a shaky but firm voice. "No, I'm not gonna do that, I'm not goin' to hurt him-" He abruptly stopped talking, dropping to his knees with a loud groan, clutching his left wrist, and this time it was Mac's turn to comfort him and rub his back, moving on autopilot.

"I think you misunderstand me, gentlemen," the voice said, amused once again. "You don't really have a choice in the matter. Well, I suppose you could eat through your supplies and then starve to death - nobody's going to find you before that can happen." A sigh. "And here I thought I was being nice by giving you lubricant. Oh well. I'll give you two a moment to digest the news... but when I come back, I expect to see some action."

The microphone clicked quietly and it was completely silent after that. Mac highly doubted the psycho actually left, but at least he was f talking for now and Mac can try to focus and figure something out. "Jack, you okay?" he asked quietly, and his breath hitched when Jack looked up at him with a tortured look on his face.

"Not really," he whispered, shaking his head. "What are we supposed to do now? It's not like I... I can't do this. I can't do this to you."

Mac moved his hand from Jack's back to his shoulder, squeezing comfortingly. "I know this... this isn't something you want," he started, pretending the words didn't feel like he was gargling glass as they emerged from his throat. He had had... less than platonic feelings for Jack since before he had left, and they had come roaring back in this moment even though Mac had thought he had buried them a long time ago. "But I need time to figure out how to get us out of here, and I can't do that if one of us has a heart attack from too many electrical shocks."

Jack stared at him with wide eyes. "Mac, you... you can't be suggesting we actually go along with it," he said quietly, and Mac tried to ignore the way his heart dropped. It wasn't like he wanted it to happen like that, with a camera and someone watching, but... knowing how opposed Jack was to the idea of sleeping with Mac was kind of heartbreaking, even though realistically Mac had always known there was no chance for him to be with Jack.

"Do you see any other option?" he asked, his voice cracking. "I know that you're... that you're straight, but we... I don't see any other solution."

Jack's face screwed up a little, almost like he wanted to laugh but thought better of it. "I'm not straight," he said, and Mac must have still been feeling the effects of the Rohypnol, because there was no way he had heard that right. "Got no problem battin' for the same team. I got a problem doing this with you when-"

He was cut off by the screech of the microphone and the return of the mysterious voice: "Tick tock, boys. Get on that bed or this is going to get ugly."

Mac swallowed hard while his thought were spinning because... he had always thought he had no chance with Jack because Jack was straight, but... it turned out he just wasn't into Mac, and somehow that was worse.

Ignoring the part where Jack had said he had a problem with sleeping with _him,_ Mac stood up and tugged Jack up to his feet. "We don't have a choice," he whispered, and after staring into Jack's eyes for a few seconds, he leaned in and pressed their lips together.

Jack pulled in a sharp breath, but to Mac's intense relief he kissed back. Trying to push aside the hurt welling up in his chest, Mac wrapped his arms around Jack's neck. He didn't deepen the kiss yet, wanting to give Jack time to adjust to the idea... and he did. His hands settled tentatively on Mac's hips, and the next time their lips parted and came together he nipped at Mac's lower lip.

Mac stifled a moan, not wanting to do anything to make Jack more uncomfortable than he already must have been. He failed to stay quiet, though, when Jack's tongue slipped into his mouth, and he made a soft sound in the back of his throat, his arms tightening around Jack's neck. As the kiss got deeper, Mac lets himself pretend that this was real, that Jack was actually into this... and he gently tugged him toward the bed until the back of his knees hit the mattress and he dropped down on it, pulling Jack on top of him.

Jack made a sound too, like the breath had been punched from his lungs, but he didn't stop kissing Mac. It was no secret that Jack had always been built and more filled out than Mac in most areas, but having him looming above him made it even more obvious. That turned Mac on more than he would have liked to admit, and he spread his legs a little so Jack could settle between them before he broke the kiss. He was pretending he needed to breathe, but in reality he was looking around for supplies to make them a way out.

Suddenly another wave of pain shot up his arm and he let out a scream, arching underneath Jack who stilled and looked down at him worriedly. "Tsk, tsk, Angus," the voice said as Mac tries to catch his breath. "You thought you could just make out and use the opportunity to find a way out?" The person laughed loudly. "Adorable. Now get back to it, boys, and no stalling... or you're going to regret it."

Jack leaned back in and pressed his lips to Mac's cheek. It was an oddly sweet gesture considering the circumstances and how opposed Jack was to this, but he was probably just trying to be comforting and they didn't have a lot of options. "You okay?" he murmured after trailing his lips to Mac's ear. "And did you see anything?"

"I'm good," Mac whispered, shuddering when Jack's teeth scraped against his jaw, one of his big hands squeezing Mac's hip. There hadn't been another shock, which meant their captor's microphone couldn't hear them at this volume - good to know. "I think there's only one camera, and it's up in the corner with the microphone. Means there's a blind spot underneath it."

"Mhmm," Jack hummed, and Mac gasped when he started sucking a bruise below his jaw. "That doesn't help us with those bracelets we're wearin'," he murmured, and Mac swallowed because he knew Jack was right. The truth was, other than that he hadn't seen anything else that could have been useful to help them escape which meant... which meant they had to do as their kidnapper said. "Mac," Jack whispered after a moment, moving his lips to Mac's ear again. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Mac squeezed his eyes shut, clamping down on the sound that threatened to escape - it was either a hysterical laugh or a sob, he couldn't tell. "Yeah, I... it's okay, Jack," he replied, swallowing hard. He reconnected their lips as he got his fingers up underneath the hem of Jack's t-shirt, stroking at his back for a moment. He felt Jack's skin break out in goosebumps at the touch and got bolder, pushing the shirt up and tugging, gratified when Jack leaned back to take it off.

Mac's breath hitched and he couldn't help but stare at Jack's bare chest because while it had looked impressive in a t-shirt... it looked _gorgeous_ now and Mac was trying very hard not to drool. He forced himself to look away, though, and he pulled Jack in for another kiss because this... this meant nothing to Jack and Mac couldn't let it show that he was actually in love with Jack and into what they were doing.

He also tried not to think too hard about himself in comparison, but that proved impossible when the hand Jack had placed back on his hip moved higher to pull Mac's button-down shirt out of his jeans. He had put on some muscle of his own in the past couple years, but he was still lean and gangly, too-long arms flailing to help as Jack unbuttons his shirt. His mouth was back on Mac's neck, tongue licking over the birthmark near the hinge of his jaw that he had always been self-conscious about.

Jack didn't seem to mind and he let out a soft groan when Mac's hands slid up his chest. Once he was done sucking another bruise into Mac's skin, Jack pulled back a little and slid the shirt off Mac's shoulders and tossed it aside. Mac tried not to squirm under Jack's gaze, but he didn't say anything and almost immediately attached his lips to Mac's collarbone.

Mac let out a quiet, shaky sigh and stared at the ceiling, willing his body to play along. Despite the fact that it was _Jack_ with his lips on Mac's skin, the fact that they were doing this under duress was making it hard to... well, get hard. "Try to relax," Jack mumbled when he came up for air, meeting Mac's eye for a second before leaning in to kiss him again. His hands explored Mac's chest and abs for a moment before one came to rest on the front of his jeans. "It's just me."

Mac swallowed hard because that was the problem, wasn't it? That it was _Jack,_ and Mac had wanted this for so damn long... but not like this. Still, if they wanted to survive they had to do this, so Mac closed his eyes and tried to forget about the circumstances and where they were - instead he focused on Jack, on his touch and his lips on his skin, and how... how much he loved him.

Warmth flooded through Mac's whole body and he leaned into Jack's next touches, sliding his hands down Jack's back to rest on his ass. He absently wondered if what they were doing was at all what their kidnapper had in mind, or if they had expected Jack to... to force himself on Mac. Shaking that off, Mac's toes curled when Jack opened his jeans, bringing his own hands around to work on Jack's pants - and he had to stifle a moan when he realized Jack was half hard.

Jack made some kind of sound - too quiet for Mac to actually make out what it was - and he slid one of his hands into Mac's hair, tugging it lightly. Mac was unable to hold back a moan and he got a little bolder and pushed Jack's jeans down as far as he could... and he slid his hand into his underwear, wrapping his fingers around Jack's cock.

That earned him a noise he heard loud and clear: a broken groan, like Mac had punched Jack in the gut. His forehead dropped to Mac's shoulder and he returned the favor, grabbing Mac's underwear and pulling it down before he got a hand around his cock. Mac gasped harshly in Jack's ear and wrapped his arm around his neck to hold him close, nuzzling his face against his cheek.

He gave Jack a few slow strokes, and it hit him that Jack was _big,_ and he suddenly really wanted to know how it would have felt to have him inside him. Jack's fingers also tightened around his cock and he was also hard at this point - something he had thought would have been impossible just a few minutes ago - and he moaned softly when Jack moved his hand, stroking him just as slowly. "J-Jack," he moaned, unable to stop himself, his cheeks burning.

Jack's hips twitched into Mac's grip, his mouth open and damp against his skin as he gasped for air. "Fuck," he groaned out, and then he was wriggling out of his jeans and letting go of Mac's cock, but only so he could rip off his underwear, leaving them both naked. Then he was back, kissing Mac on the lips and taking him in hand again.

A part of Mac remembered that the camera was still in the room and that their crazy kidnapper was probably watching, so they were completely exposed... but right now, blanketed with Jack's body, he felt... _safe_. They jerked each other off for a moment and while it felt fantastic, Mac was aware that this was not what the psycho had wanted, and apparently Jack knew that as well. "Mac, I... he made himself pretty clear earlier," Jack gasped into his ear, thrusting into Mac's hand. "Can I..."

The fact that Jack would _ask_ even though they had been ordered to sleep together was enough to bring tears to Mac's eyes, but he willed them away. "Yeah, yeah, you can," he whispered, freeing up his hands so he could frame Jack's face with them, pulling him in for a kiss. He reached over the side of the mattress and grabbed the bottle of lube, passing it to Jack when he broke away. "I trust you, Jack."

Jack looked down at him with such a tortured look that it made Mac's heart clench. He didn't understand why Jack was looking at him like that, but it was probably because sleeping with Mac was the last thing he wanted, but had no choice. Mac did his best not to tense when he heard Jack open the lube and he kept his gaze on the ceiling as Jack poured it on his fingers.

Before he did anything else, Jack rubbed his dry hand up Mac's thigh, squeezing the muscle as he leaned down to kiss Mac's cheek, then nuzzle under his jaw. He used his mouth to distract Mac from the way his index finger searched for his entrance, finding it a moment later and circling it gently before pushing inside. The intrusion made Mac suck in a breath, his hands gripping Jack's biceps tightly.

Jack groaned softly, but didn't say anything, mouthing at Mac's jaw as he slowly started to move his finger in and out. Mac focused on breathing and trying not to cry because... Jack was so incredibly gentle, and Mac wished more than anything than this had been real.

He wrapped both arms around Jack's shoulders and hugged him close, but Jack must have heard Mac's breathing hitch because he stopped moving for a second, lifting his head to look at Mac's face. "Mac? Are you okay?" he asked, eyes growing wide when Mac shook his head and looked away. "Did I do somethin' wrong?"

For a second Mac felt like laughing, but he was afraid that if he did that he would immediately start sobbing. "No, Jack, no," he whispered. "It's okay, I'm just..."

"I know this sucks, Mac," Jack interjected softly. "And I know that... this isn't ideal."

"You can say that again," Mac mumbled, and part of him couldn't believe that any of this was happening, but specifically that they were having this conversation while Jack's finger was in his ass. "Just... keep going? Distract me?"

"Yeah, okay," Jack said, leaning in to nip at Mac's earlobe. "Tell me about what happened while I was gone."

Mac swallowed hard. "It's been... a hard two years," he whispered, gasping when Jack started moving his finger again. "I... we've been infiltrated by a crazy man that... had a beef with my father." Talking about his dad should have been weird as hell in this situation, but all of this felt so surreal that Mac didn't care. "Charlie died because of him."

"Fuck, Mac, I'm sorry," Jack murmured, his lips moving against the skin below Mac's ear. "Is that why you guys lost your clearances?" When Mac made a surprised sound that strayed close to a moan, Jack clarified, "I tried gettin' in touch with the Phoenix a couple times after I left... but the phones just kept ringing. I figured something happened so I made a couple calls - heard you were one helluva teacher."

"I... yeah, you could say that," he breathed out, gasping when Jack added a second finger. "It was- oh god - it was okay, but... I missed doing what we do at the Phoenix."

"Understandable," Jack murmured, pushing his fingers deeper and pressing a kiss to Mac's jaw. "You always wanted to help people." He paused to kiss his way to Mac's other ear and Mac groaned louder when his fingers found his prostate. "How was working with Desi?"

Mac let out a choked laugh, because bringing Desi up while they were in this position was... awkward. "She's amazing at her job," he answered honestly, fingernails scratching down Jack's back as he scissored his fingers apart gently before pushing a third one inside. "We... we tried dating for a while. It didn't work out, but... we're still friends."

He could have sworn Jack faltered for a second, but when he spoke he sounded normal - well, considering the circumstances. "That's... that's good," Jack muttered. "That you're still friends."

Mac was too busy moaning to analyze Jack's words and he arched off the mattress when Jack pushed his fingers in harder. "I'm... Jack," he gasps. "I'm... good, I think."

Jack pulled his fingers out slowly, pausing before he grabbed the lube again. "No condoms, huh?"

"Nope," Mac said, averting his eyes while Jack slicked up his own cock, swallowing the saliva that filled his mouth. "I'm clean, though. Just had my physical, Russ makes us get one every six months."

Jack sighed. "That slimy British bastard is another thing I wanted to talk to you about once I got back," he muttered. "But I guess it has to wait. I'm clean too, had a physical after the mission was officially wrapped up."

"Okay," Mac whispered, his heart clenching when Jack settled between his legs. He closed his eyes, but then he felt a gentle hand on his cheek.

"Hey," Jack murmured. "Relax. I don't wanna hurt you."

Mac looked into Jack's eyes, and despite the ache in his chest, he said quietly, "You never could."

That answer was both too honest and completely farcical, because Jack _had_ hurt him - they had hurt each other, Mac knew that. But as Jack lined himself up and slowly started pushing into Mac's body, he thought that if they could survive this they could work everything else out.

He gasped and threw his head back, staring at the ceiling as Jack kept moving. He was gulping in air, doing his best not to fall apart, and once Jack bottomed out he stilled, pushing his face into Mac's neck. Mac trembled a little underneath him, trying to get used to then overwhelming stretch, and eventually he wrapped his arms tightly around Jack's neck. "You can... move, Jack."

Jack made a wounded sound against his throat, one arm slipping underneath Mac's back. His other hand traveled up into Mac's hair again, and Jack used that grip to pull him into a kiss. He drew his hips back and pushed them forward tentatively, causing them both to moan. It felt so good, almost _too_ good, and Mac drew his knees up so Jack could get in deeper the next time he moved.

The kiss was mostly them panting into each other mouths as Jack set up a steady pace, his hips moving smoothly in and out of Mac. When air became necessary they pulled apart and Jack buried his face in Mac's neck again, panting against his skin and moaning whenever Mac clenched around him. Mac closed his eyes when his vision started blurring and he forced his brain to shut off and not think about how this... this was just pretending on Jack's part, but he also couldn't help but wonder who Jack was thinking about right now to keep himself going.

Probably one of his ex-girlfriends... or ex-boyfriends, Mac realized with a start. He _had_ said he was bisexual after all, and Mac didn't know about every person Jack had been with despite their close friendship. Whatever Jack was thinking about must have been working, though, because he was striking Mac's prostate on almost every thrust. It sent a cascade of sparks down Mac's spine and he moaned loudly, one hand coming up to squeeze the back of Jack's neck, the other one grasping at his ass in an attempt to keep him close.

He still wasn't saying anything which caught Mac off guard a little - he had always assumed that since Jack loved talking he would be babbling during sex as well... but he realized he probably did that when he was with a person he actually cared about like that. This was... this was probably just a fuck to Jack, nothing meaningful - just a way to get out of their current situation and maybe satisfy his needs as an additional bonus.

He thrusted into Mac more roughly than the previous times and Mac arched in pleasure, gasping for air. "Oh god, Jack, just like that," he begged, no longer caring if he sounded desperate. Fuck this person that had decided to make them do this - if this was the only time Mac was going to have Jack's cock inside him, he was going to enjoy it. "Please... harder. Fuck me harder."

Jack growled and bit down on his neck, no doubt leaving a mark behind, and he tightened his arm around Mac. He drew his hips back almost all the way out and then he slammed back inside, making Mac howl in pleasure.

Jack's hand tightened its grip in Mac's hair, pulling at it with every movement, and those little flares of pain only added to the heat building in the pit of his stomach. "I'm so close," Mac whispered, eyes squeezing shut when those three words only spurred Jack on, his cock pumping brutally in and out of his body.

He felt a single tear roll down his temple and he bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from blurting out that he loved Jack. Instead he cried out with every slam of Jack's hips and it only took a few hard pushes straight into his prostate for him to fall over the edge with a loud shout, arching off the mattress as he came untouched for the first time in his life.

"Oh _fuck,_ " Jack groaned against his ear, and then he was coming too, Mac spasming around him enough to get him off. Mac moaned softly when he felt Jack's come fill him up, warm and sticky, a visceral reminder of what they had just done. He collapsed on top of Mac, breathing hard, and for just a second the room and the creepy bed fell away.

More than anything Mac wanted to hug Jack close, kiss his temple, but... that was not what this was, right? Swallowing, Mac exhaled shakily and let his arms slide off Jack's body, and he tried to catch his breath and not start sobbing at the same time. After a moment Jack groaned again and he lifted himself up a little, slowly pulling out before lying down on top of Mac again, shifting a little... and Mac realized that Jack was covering him with his body so that he wasn't so badly exposed to the camera and the watching creep.

Mac felt his cheeks heat up and he bit his lower lip, wanting to thank Jack for the gesture but unsure of how to do it without making things more awkward. This little pause gave him another moment to glance around the room, and he noted that there was an area of the wall near the blind spot that looked slightly different from the rest of the room. That was probably where the hidden door was, but he wasn't sure how that helped them yet.

It wasn't like they could try to open it because as soon as they did, their kidnapper was going to get angry and activate their bracelets, incapacitating them. A moment later Jack shifted on top of him again and whispered, "Are you okay?"

Briefly closing his eyes, Mac felt his lower lip tremble, but when he replied he managed to keep his voice steady. "I... yeah," he whispered back. "I'm... I'm good."

Before he could add anything else, the microphone clicked again, and Mac tensed, feeling Jack do the same. "Well, well," the voice said, basically purring. "That was _quite_ a show." Jack still had an arm around Mac, and his grip on him tightened minutely, like he was afraid somebody was going to try and separate them. "You two _really_ outdid yourselves," their disembodied captor continued, sounding far too satisfied for Mac's liking. "I was expecting Jack to be all... brutish and controlling, but that was quite... _sensual,_ " There was a pause, followed by the distinct sound of a zipper getting pulled up. "You get a ten minute break. Spend it however you'd like, but I'll be timing you."

The microphone clicked again and Mac's breath hitched because clearly the psycho had more plans involving them. "Son of a bitch," Jack muttered, and then he lifted his head. The look on his face was... unreadable and Mac didn't know what to think about it, and he tried to ignore the fact that they were both naked and how self-conscious he felt now that they were not... occupied.

"I don't see any way out," he whispered, his voice cracking. "I... I don't know how to get us out of this without him killing us first."

He heard the anxiety behind his own words, and that unreadable look on Jack's face turned into empathy. "Mac, you gotta stay calm," he said softly, his hand shifting to the side of Mac's neck, over his pulse. His thumb rubbed slowly over Mac's jaw. "Maybe instead of looking for a way out, we need to figure out a way to neutralize the bracelets."

Mac forced himself to breathe and focus on Jack's comforting touch. "Yeah, that's... a good idea actually," he breathed out, and if the circumstances had been different he would have smiled, because... it was good to know Jack was still capable of stopping him from spiraling. "No idea how to do that, though, but... it's a start, I guess."

"See, there you go," Jack said, and then he let Mac go and pushed himself up and off of him effortlessly. He was still blocking the camera's view of Mac, and yanked the velvety comforter back so they could climb underneath it.

"Thank you," Mac murmured, his face on fire even as he shivered from the cool temperature of the room... and Jack surprised him by wrapping both arms around him.

His chest was pressed against Mac's back and Mac shivered again, trying not to be too obvious about snuggling closer to Jack's warm body. He appreciated the gesture even though he wasn't sure where it was coming from, and it seemed like Jack could read his mind. "You can't think that well when you're cold," he muttered, holding Mac close. "Typical California fella. Remember when we got stuck in Siberia? I had to basically throw you into the fire for your brain to start workin'."

Mac smiled at the memory. "Yeah, and then once it did we wound up crawling out of that old jail through the sewers." He remembered huddling for warmth together inside Jack's big parka, his head tucked under Jack's chin, and how he had never felt safer while also being inappropriately turned on. He took in a deep breath and gathers his courage... before he placed a hand on top of Jack's where it was resting against his stomach. "I really missed you, Jack."

Jack exhaled shakily, his breath warm against the back of Mac's neck. "I missed you too, Mac," he whispered, sounding emotional. "So much, and... I owe you an apology," he added, and Mac frowned. "I shouldn't have left, not the way I did," Jack continued, voice cracking. "I... I didn't handle that well."

"Yeah, because of me," Mac whispered, blinking when his vision started blurring. "I drove you away." "I didn't mean to," he continued when Jack didn't speak, a tear running down his cheek. "It was just... when my dad showed up, and he told me... he told me the reason he left was because I looked too much like my mom..." He trailed off, sniffling and tightening his grip on Jack's hand. "I should've let you help me. I know you tried. And I'm sorry I didn't."

"It's okay, Mac," Jack said softly, but Mac shook his head.

"No, it's not," he whispered. "It's not okay because I _know_ I hurt you when I just... left and then ignored your calls. I know I fucked up everything between us and I'll never forgive myself for that."

Jack tugged at his waist, and the next thing Mac knew he was being rolled over. "Hey, listen to me," he said, his voice so low it was just a rumble. "We both fucked up, okay? It hurt like hell when you left, yeah, but I acted like a brat when you did come back. I thought you wanted space, and I gave it to you in spades - so much of it that you got kidnapped by Murdoc, among other things."

"I should've just talked to you about all of this and how I was feeling," Mac whispered, heart heavy in his chest.

"Come on, hoss," Jack said quietly. "We both know you ain't great with talkin' about feelings. I could've pushed more, so... how about we agree to just have a conversation the next time? Instead of ignoring the problem?"

Before Mac could reply, agreeing to what Jack had said, the microphone clicked back on. "Alright, boys, ten minutes are up," the voice said almost cheerfully. "How are we feeling?"

"Just dandy, buttmunch," Jack snapped, and then he was curling in on himself, making a low sound of pain as he was shocked by his bracelet.

"Watch your mouth," the voice said, laced with a sick sort of sweetness. "And get ready for round two. I want to see you get a little... rougher this time." A pause. "I notice you didn't move the supplies around. Why don't you do that... and check out the toys I left for you under the food?"

Mac's blood froze because apparently the psycho wanted them to have sex again... and the word 'toys' he had used didn't sound too good. Not wanting to get shocked again - or worse, for Jack to get shocked again - Mac sat up, trying to ignore the dull ache in the lower part of his body. Making sure the comforter was covering him, he reached for the tub that was on the floor by the bed and lifted it, putting it on the mattress. His heart pounding, he started moving the food around... and he froze when he saw what was underneath.

There were bondage ropes, a flogger, paddles of various sizes... he tentatively moved these things aside and caught sight of a cock ring, a vibrator, and a ball gag. It looked like someone had raided a sex shop - which they probably had, come to think of it - and under other circumstances he wouldn't have had a problem with that. But right now?

Right now he was _terrified_ of what this asshole might have planned for them... and what would happen if they didn't cooperate.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go, another chapter!
> 
> I updated the tags, so if you want to make sure what's happening in this chapter, check them out.
> 
> We really hope you like it... even though things don't get better, not really ;)

The one thing not that many people knew about Matilda Webber was that her heart wasn't actually made of ice and she didn't actually have Lucifer on her speed dial. While she didn't show her emotions too often, that didn't mean she didn't feel them, and she cared and worried about her team - she always had cared about her people, regardless of where she had worked, but the Phoenix... that team was special. They were family.

And right now Matty was worried as hell because Jack was supposed to come back from his awful Kovacs mission and surprise everyone during their morning briefing, but he had never showed up. That alone wouldn't have been too weird, his transport could have been delayed (it wasn't - Matty had checked), or anything, really - but when Mac, aka the other half of the codependent duo hadn't showed up for work... Matty was officially worried.

Russ came into the war room and he had a cup of coffee from the Phoenix cafeteria with her name on it. They had come to a weird detente since he had bought up the operation, and coffee was his love language. "What's with the long face? You look like someone kicked your puppy."

"If someone kicked my puppy they'd be dead, Taylor," Matty replied, taking the cup when he handed it to her before she turned her attention back to the big screen. "Are you keeping the others busy like I asked?"

"I am, although if I'm being honest it would be nice to know what I'm distracting them from," Russ said, and even without glancing at him Matty could tell his eyebrows were raised and he was looking at her questioningly. "The self-defense training is fun even if Desi kicking me _multiple_ times is not. They're also wondering why Mac didn't join us today."

"I'm wondering the same thing," Matty told him, face screwing back up into a grimace as she continued, "Jack was supposed to be coming back from the Kovacs mission today... but he never showed up either."

"Now that _is_ troubling, especially since I've tried calling and texting Mac and gotten no answer," Russ said, and Matty detected a hint of worry in his tone. Despite his best efforts to keep the team at arm's length they had all gotten under his skin, Mac in particular. "Dalton's not my biggest fan and the feeling's mutual, but I'd hate to think anything's happened."

"Well, as Mac says, coincidences are inevitable from the statistical point of view," Matty said, smiling a little as she repeated Mac's words. "But in this case I highly doubt that's the case, so..." She took a deep breath. "Do me a favor and call everyone up here. We need Riley to work her magic and try tracking them, and it's only fair I bring the rest of the team up to speed."

"You've got it," Russ replied, pulling out his cell phone and shooting off a text. Once that was done he took a seat in one of the armchairs, resting his elbows on his knees and looking at her with a serious expression. "What do you think happened, Matty?"

"I'm not sure yet," Matty said, shaking her head a little. "The odds of them both being kidnapped at the same time are astronomical... unless someone planned this very carefully."

"You know, it's one thing to kidnap Mac," Russ started. "I guess it is possible someone watched him and managed to pick a good spot to snatch him... but how would they know Dalton was coming back?"

"Exactly," Matty said with a nod. "Another thing, those two aren't exactly easy to kidnap, Jack especially."

In that moment the rest of the team walked into the war room, all of them looking confused and a little concerned. "What's going on?" Riley asked, setting her rig aside on the coffee table.

"Yeah, Matty, why did I have to stop kicking Russ?" Desi asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Bozer was there too, but he didn't say anything right away, eyes focused on where Mac and Jack's files were blown up on the big screen. "We've got a situation," Matty said. "As you know, Mac didn't show up for work today... and Jack was supposed to surprise you all by being in the war room this morning, but he never made it to the car that was sent to pick him up at LAX."

Riley's eyes lit up. "Jack's back?" she asked, her voice hopeful, and Matty smiled a little.

"He was supposed to be, yes," she said. "And from what I found out, he did make it and got on his transport to LA which means..."

"Which means someone most likely grabbed him here," Desi finished for her, her voice grim.

"Wait a second," Bozer said, his brows furrowed. "We're talking about the same Jack Dalton we've known for a while, right? You don't just _grab_ the dude off the street without getting your arm broken. At least."

"Having been on the wrong end of a confrontation with Dalton, I agree with you, Bozer," Russ said, rubbing at his beard absently. "And Angus is no slouch in the self-defense department either."

"Maybe they were drugged?" Riley suggested, grabbing her laptop and searching for footage from LAX. "It would make them both easier to take down... but Mac would've had to stop somewhere before work."

"There's a cafe he likes to go to sometimes," Desi said, her tone gone soft. "He took me there when we were together."

"Could be where the kidnapper got to him," Matty said. "Riley?"

"Working on it," Riley muttered. "Okay, let's start with LAX, here's the footage from this morning..." She squinted at the screen before the look on her face softened. "And here's Jack."

She pulled up the video on the big screen and they all watched as Jack walked through the terminal, a bag in one hand and a water bottle in the other. He headed toward the exit, but as got there he suddenly swayed on his feet. Out of nowhere, a man in a hoodie showed up and wrapped an arm around his shoulder, leading him to the car with no plates, skillfully avoiding the cameras so they didn't see his face.

Russ stood up, eyes fixed on the screen. "Play it again, Riley." She did, and he pointed at the water bottle. "Can we find out where Dalton picked that up?"

"Sure, let me just..." Riley pressed a few keys and moved to a different camera, and they found out that after disembarking from the plane, Jack had stopped at one of the overpriced stores near the terminal for some water.

They watched the transaction and Bozer frowned. "He buys the bottle and it's sealed - how did somebody drug him?"

"Maybe it's not as sealed as it seems from afar," Desi suggested. "But that would mean counting on Jack picking the right, drugged bottle... not the best strategy."

"Maybe the guy who sold it was in on it?" Riley asked. "He made sure to give Jack the right bottle?"

They watched as Jack exited the store and unscrewed the cap from the water, taking a long sip. This didn't match up with what they just saw in the footage of him later, so when did the drug come into play?

"He didn't ingest it," Russ said suddenly, and pointed at a man walking toward Jack who was roughly the same height and build as the one in the hoodie who took him later. "He's going to bump into Dalton and touch the water bottle, I guarantee it." Sure enough, he did exactly that, and the two men exchanged apologies before going their separate ways... or so Jack had thought. "The drug was probably on a sticker attached to his palm, and he transferred it to the bottle when he ran into Dalton. So the next time Jack takes a sip from the bottle, the roofie gets absorbed through his skin."

"Riley, can you get a good look at his face?" Matty asked.

"Not really," Riley muttered. "He seems to know exactly where the cameras are."

"Alright, let's try Mac," Matty said, and Desi told Riley the name of the cafe Mac sometimes went to. Thankfully they were lucky and it turned out there was a camera on the street directed at the entrance, and there was also a camera inside that Riley managed to hack. Sure enough, Mac showed up there, buying a coffee and then waiting for the barista to finish making it.

He was chatting amicably with the woman making his coffee, and shoved a twenty dollar bill in the tip jar on the counter when she was done. When Matty first had come to the Phoenix she had had a hard time believing Mac was as good of a person as everyone had said, but now she knew that type of behavior was just... _natural_ for him.

He turned to leave, and just like with Jack at the airport, a man bumped into him. It looked like an accident, and once again, apologies were exchanged before Mac headed to the door. He took a sip of coffee as he exited the building and then almost instantly started to fall down, but the man who had bumped him was there to catch him.

"Son of a bitch," Desi muttered, and Matty could relate. "Must be the same guy that grabbed Jack."

"It probably is, and everywhere he managed not to show his face to the camera," Matty said, and while she was still worried, now she was also angry because _no one_ messes with her team like that and gets away with it. "What we have to figure out is where he took them... and why."

* * *

Jack Dalton had found himself in a lot of surreal scenarios in his life, but looking down at his partner's bare ass covered in thin red marks from the flogger was a new one. Mac's face was pressed into his forearms on top of the apple-red comforter and his hands were bound at the wrists. He had just come all over himself for a second time from little more than strikes from the leather whip - which Jack had tried to make as light as possible - and the touch of Jack's hand. Jack, meanwhile, was rock fucking hard and disgusted with himself for it, because not only was he lusting after someone who's fifteen years younger than him... he was in love with him too.

What was even worse, they were being forced into this - Jack knew that in any other circumstances Mac would have never wanted something like this with him, so it made Jack hate himself even more for actually being turned on right now. He knew they didn't have a choice, but it didn't make him feel any better.

After Mac had found all the toys in the box the voice had ordered Jack to use some of them on Mac - he hadn't specified which ones - and fuck him again, more roughly this time. Jack had tried to protest, but had gotten shocked again for his trouble, and after Mac had told him in a soft, resigned voice to go for it... here they were.

Exhaling shakily, Jack smacked Mac's ass again, making him cry out sharply, his body flinching as his thighs trembled. He didn't seem okay, not really, and Jack hesitated, not wanting to hurt him more... and that was when the microphone clicked. "Come on, Jack," the voice said, rough with arousal which made Jack feel sick. "Take him. Claim him."

Jack desperately wanted to lash out with words, but he knew all that was going to get him - or worse, Mac - was shocked again. Instead he put a hand on Mac's lower back and pushed until he was flat on the bed, clambering on top of him. He made a show of grabbing Mac's hair, so it looked like he was pulling it harder than he actually was, and leaned down to speak into his ear. "You alright?"

"I... yeah, I'm good," Mac mumbled after a second, clearing his throat. "Go ahead."

Jack concentrated on holding back tears because Mac didn't sound like he was good, but there wasn't much Jack could do about it. He had given him the green light, so Jack grabbed the lube and coated his cock with it before lining himself up. Mac was still stretched from before, some of Jack's come still inside him, and Jack stifled a groan as he started pushing in. Mac felt fantastic, tight and hot, but Jack couldn't really enjoy it properly, not like this.

He kept his hand tangled in Mac's hair, tugging every time he thrusted in and doing his best to make this good for him despite... well, everything. Jack's other hand traveled to Mac's hip, squeezing in what he hoped was a reassuring way. And then because he knew the voice would order him to do it if he didn't take initiative... he spanked Mac's ass cheek, _hard,_ and continued to do so in time with his thrusts and the yanks on Mac's hair.

Mac was crying out every time, some of the sounds he made coming out as sobs that were breaking Jack's heart. He didn't know if Mac was actually enjoying this - he had come earlier but it could have been just his body reacting to what was going on - but he hoped it brought at least a little pleasure to him... and he hoped Mac wasn't going to hate him once they got out of there.

Jack had kept a tight lid on the words that had wanted to escape him since they did this the first time, but it was getting harder to stay quiet - especially when Mac was so perfect around him, squeezing just right on push inside. He leaned down again, ostensibly to bite at Mac's shoulder and neck and act like the possessive asshole their kidnapper seemed to think he should have been... but he also pressed his lips to the soft skin behind Mac's ear. "You're so gorgeous," he groaned out, and _fuck_ , that wasn't what he had meant to say at all. "And I'm... I'm sorry this happened this way."

"It's... n-not your fault," Mac whispered brokenly, his voice shaking, and Jack squeezed his eyes shut when he felt a tear roll down his cheek. He started thrusting into Mac even harder, groaning with every push inside, and he picked up his pace, because he couldn't talk while he was fucking him like that. And if Jack couldn't talk, then he wouldn't blurt out something stupid, so he just pressed his face into Mac's shoulder and pounded into him mercilessly.

It didn't take long for him to come after that, spilling deep inside Mac and grinding forward through the aftershocks. He slipped an arm under Mac's chest and eased him to the mattress, avoiding the wet spot where he had come earlier. The microphone clicked on, and the voice that Jack hated with a passion spoke: "Well done, Jack. That was... lovely. Making him cry like that was inspired. Now, be a good little plaything and dig around in your toy box - there's a buttplug in there somewhere. Put it inside him."

Jack gritted his teeth, itching to reply and tell the guy to fuck himself, but he didn't want to risk getting shocked again. He gently pulled out of Mac who didn't even make a sound and Jack resisted the urge to run his fingers through his hair, knowing that kind of gesture would have been too intimate and not something Mac wanted. He reached for the box of doom and sure enough, he found a buttplug there.

Leaning down, he pressed his lips to Mac's ear and whispered, "Can I...?" A second later Mac nodded and Jack swallowed hard before pushing the buttplug inside him, as gently as he could. He also untied his wrists and shifted Mac so that his back was once again pressed against Jack's chest, and he wrapped his arms around him. "I'm so sorry," he whispered, squeezing his eyes shut.

"I know," was Mac's quiet response, and Jack's heart clenched - usually Mac would have insisted it wasn't Jack's fault, and even if Jack usually didn't believe him, it was still comforting. But now it was clear Mac must have been blaming Jack for this... and it made Jack hate himself even more.

"Ten minutes, boys," the voice drawled from the corner, and then the microphone clicked off.

As soon as it did Mac sat up, wincing a little. "I was thinking about what you said about disabling the bracelets," he started, pushing his sweaty hair out of his face. He was beautiful even now, with a rope-shaped bruise around his wrist. "And I think I have an idea. We've got to find something non-conductive that can fit between the bracelets and our wrists."

Jack blinked at him and stared in shock... but then he realized he shouldn't have been surprised that even in his current state Mac's brain was still working overtime. "Okay, let's say we find somethin' small enough," Jack muttered, also sitting up and turning away from the camera. "That will stop the psycho from shocking us?"

"Yeah, but I don't know what happens after that," Mac said grimly, and started digging through the box, heedless of the sex toys as he looked for something to use. "For all I know shocking us is only the beginning, there could be a place for gas to get in, or-"

His voice was creeping higher with anxiety, and Jack put a hand on his shoulder. "One problem at a time, dude," he said, squeezing a little. "If he can't shock us anymore, we should be able to fight off whatever he does next. Besides, I don't see any vents or anything - I think the only place fresh air is coming from is that secret door."

"Okay, you... you're right," Mac said, and stopped searching the box so frantically. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a few seconds, and then he started looking again, huffing in frustration a moment later. "There's nothing here," he muttered, wincing when he shifted - he must have felt the buttplug, Jack realized, and he tried his best not to react to that. "Maybe there's something in the bathroom?" Mac suggested, trying to get up, but Jack stopped him, grabbing his shoulder.

"I'll go," he murmured. "Be right back."

Mac didn't look happy about it, but he stayed put, and he wasn't shrugging off Jack's unnecessary touches, which was miraculous in Jack's book. He got off the bed and headed to the bathroom, too strung out and sore to care about being naked. He flipped on the light and looked around, taking in the plain white space, which was occupied by a toilet, a bathtub with a showerhead, and a sink. At first glance there didn't seem to be anything useful in here either... but then Jack took a second look at the sink and had an idea. He opened the cabinet underneath it and felt around, making a triumphant sound when he found the rubber gaskets that made the faucet fit tightly into the sink bowl. If he could dig those out, the rubber would block the electricity that was emitted by the bracelets from hitting their skin.

Knowing they didn't have much time until the creep's ten minutes were up again, Jack got to work. It took some effort, but eventually he managed to dig out one piece of rubber and it spurred him on, so he got out the second one even faster. Grinning a little, he got up and headed back to the room where he found Mac curled up under the comforter, looking exhausted, but he opened his eyes the second he heard Jack come in. "And?" he asked, sitting up a little.

"Found these," Jack said, getting back on the bed and opening his hand, two pieces of rubber lying on his palm.

"That's perfect," Mac breathed out, grabbing one of them and sticking it between the bracelet and his skin. "Come on, give me your wrist."

Jack sat back on the bed and did as he was told, holding out his wrist. Mac took it with those long, clever fingers and slipped the piece of rubber inside the bracelet. "We still have a little time," Mac said, no doubt relying on the same mental clock Jack had from their years in the Army. "Can you check the bricks in the windows? Are they as solid as they look?"

"Sure," Jack agreed, and got up again, walking up to one of the windows. He checked the bricks, examining them closely and trying to push them, but they didn't budge - and the same story repeated with the other two windows. "Bad news, hoss," he muttered, getting back on the bed. "They _are_ solid. We're not getting out that way... unless you blow them up."

Before Mac could reply to that, the microphone clicked back on. "Hello again, gentlemen," the voice said, and Jack swore he was going to punch the guy as soon as he saw him and then he was going to break his neck. "Ready for more fun?"

"Why?" Mac suddenly asked, his voice cracking, and Jack's heart did the same. "Why are you doing this?"

"You want the honest answer? Because I want to, and I can." The voice managed to put a gleeful sort of haughtiness into those words... and then it said something interesting. "But I can't take _all_ the credit - my partner's the one responsible for the more... _erotic_ ideas. I just help make it happen."

"Well, tell your partner they can take their ideas and cram 'em where the sun don't shine," Jack said, and braces for a shock... that didn't come. He smiled at Mac - but that was all he had time to do, because the next thing he knew he was falling off the bed and on to the floor, writhing in blinding agony.

"Jack!" Mac shouted, and then Jack thought he jumped off the bed to kneel on the floor by his side, but he couldn't be sure. He was too busy squeezing his eyes shut and gritting his teeth in pain, and after what felt like hours the pain finally subsided. Jack forced his eyes to open and he saw Mac leaning over him with a worried look on his face, his hands hovering above Jack.

"Silly boys," the voice cackled. "You really thought I'd be dumb enough to use _just_ bracelets to make sure you obey me?" Their kidnapper kept chuckling, sounding like he was having the time of his life. "Now get back on the bed. Time to put Angus in his place, Jack."

* * *

Desi backtracked from the Phoenix Foundation to the cafe Mac liked with relative ease, even though she hadn't been there in about a year. After she and Mac had broken up, she had done her best to avoid the places they had been together - the Phoenix had been shut down then, and she had thrown herself into her work as a bouncer. She tightened her hands on the steering wheel, trying to focus on finding a parking spot, and she felt Russ's eyes on her from the passenger's seat. "Do I have something on my face, Taylor?"

"Oh, not at all," Russ replied, the tone nonchalant and annoying as hell. "It's just... you have been rather quiet on the way here - more so than usual, I mean - and I can't help but wonder what exactly is on your mind right now."

"And how is that any of your business?" Desi asked, gritting her teeth, pulling into a parking spot not far from the cafe.

"I suppose it's not," Russ conceded, getting out of the car with her. "But considering that Angus is your ex and Dalton is more or less the father of your girlfriend-"

"I'm under a little pressure, yeah," Desi interjected, walking toward the cafe and not much caring if Russ followed her or not. "What's your point? Do you even have one?"

"My point is, you need to calm down," Russ said, quickly catching up with her. "We all need to bring our A game here, you included, so you need to take it easy and-"

He cut off when Desi grabbed him by his shirt and pinned him to a wall of the building they were passing. "Don't tell me what to do, Taylor, or I swear to god, I'm gonna kick your teeth down your throat."

Russ raised his hands in supplication, but he wasn't stupid enough to try and touch her. "Desi, I know this is hard to believe, but I'm trying to help you," he said, smoothing out his designer button-down when she let him go. "So tell me how I can do that."

"By keeping your eyes open once we get in there," Desi replied, stepping back and continuing to walk. "I don't believe for a second that this guy is working alone."

"Roger that," Russ said, and together they walked into the cafe. As soon as they did, Desi was hit with a wave of memories, remembering how Mac used to bring her here and... everything that happened. She forced herself to push all of that back before Russ could call her out on it, and she walked up to the counter, approaching the woman that had also been working earlier according to the footage.

She perked up the moment she saw Desi, evidently recognizing her despite the fact that it had been a while - she had never bothered covering her tattoos when she had come here, so that was probably why. "Hi! Your boyfriend was in here earlier-"

"That's why I'm here, actually," Desi said, not bothering to correct the barista on the status of her and Mac's relationship. "He never made it in to work today, and I figured this was the last place he stopped."

"Oh no, seriously?" The woman's eyes widened and since there was no one in line, she leaned on the counter to hear them better. "Well, he was here at... I don't know, before nine, I think?"

That checked out, according to the footage, but it didn't help them at all. "Do you remember if he talked to anyone here?" Desi asked. "Bumped into anyone?"

The barista thought for a moment, and then she snapped her fingers. "He did, actually! After I gave him his coffee, he was heading out and a guy that had been here for a while was walking toward the trash can and ran into him."

"Would you be able to describe this man?" Russ asked, and it was a good question - the barista had seen him at an angle that the cameras couldn't reach.

"Probably," she replied, and then her eyes got big again. "Ohmigod, are you guys cops? Is your _boyfriend_ a cop?"

"No, he's not." Desi shook her head. "Actually... he's not my boyfriend anymore, but that's not important here."

"Oh no, that's so sad!" the barista exclaimed and maybe in other circumstances Desi would have found her enthusiasm... endearing, but right now she really didn't.

"Like I said, it's not important," she said. "What's important is you remembering as many details about that man. Can you do that?"

"Yeah, okay... um, he was about as tall as him," the woman said, pointing at Russ. "And he was white. He had on a sweatshirt and his hood was up, but he looked like he had brown hair... maybe hazel eyes? Oh! And he had a scar across his mouth! He tried to hide it with his coffee cup, but I saw it when he paid."

Desi raised her eyebrow and exchanged a look with Russ. "That scar could help us ID this guy," she said, and when he nodded she turns back to the barista. "That helps a lot," she told her before something else occurred to her. "Was he here alone? Or was anyone sitting with him?"

She shook her head. "No, he was alone... but it looked like he might've been texting someone? He had his phone out almost the whole time he was here." She paused, chewing on her lower lip. "He gave me his phone number for the loyalty program... but I'm not supposed to share those."

Russ leaned in a little and looked her in the eye. "That phone number could be the difference between us getting our friend back alive or dead. I promise we won't tell anyone else... but we _need_ that phone number."

Her eyes widened, but she still didn't seem fully convinced, so Desi pushed Russ away and also leaned in. "Jenny, please," she said quietly, glancing at her nametag. "Mac's a good guy, you know that, he's been coming here for years. And he's probably in a lot of trouble right now and that phone number... it might be the one thing we need to find him."

Jenny looked at her for a moment before she finally nodded. She searched the database and then gave them the number which Russ scribbled on a napkin. "Thank you so much," Desi said, and then headed toward the exit.

"Well," Russ said once they were outside, reaching for his phone to call Matty or Riley. "Looks like we've got a lead."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there!
> 
> There are... no excuses justifying why this update took so long. Sorry about that and hopefully I'll do better from now on :D
> 
> Enjoy more pain and emotional torture!

There were a lot of things that Mac couldn't believe about their current situation, but the biggest one was how quickly he melted into a puddle of brainless, wanton _mush_ when Jack's hands landed on his body. They had given in and had some of the water before they got back to business and now Mac wondered if it was laced with some kind of aphrodisiac or if Jack just had the effect on him no matter what. He was hard again, the buttplug pressing against his prostate whenever he moved around, and he was at eye level with Jack's cock, hands tied behind his back this time.

He was kneeling on the floor with Jack standing right next to him, his fingers gripping Mac's hair so tightly it hurt. The voice had ordered Jack to push him down on his knees and then fuck his mouth, gleefully adding that this was only the beginning... and they hadn't protested again since it was obvious they probably had been injected with something that allowed their kidnapper to shock them.

Exhaling shakily, Mac leaned in and took the head of Jack's cock in his mouth, sucking lightly and inhaling through his nose when Jack tugged on his hair. Jack was only half hard right now and Mac couldn't help but wonder if maybe Jack was tired of sex with him... but it wasn't like they had a choice.

"Come on, Angus," the voice said, once again rough with lust. "Put those pretty lips to use and suck him off like a good whore that you are."

He felt Jack go rigid against him when he heard those words, and when Mac risked a glance up at his face he could see that Jack was furious. It was... nice, in an odd way, to know that enough of their friendship was intact for Jack to get angry over someone calling Mac names. He let his eyes fall shut and focused on the task at hand, figuring the quicker he brought Jack off, the sooner he could figure out how to combat whatever they had been injected with. He sank lower on Jack's cock, flattening his tongue along the length and swallowing around the head.

Jack let out a low growl, his fingers tightening in Mac's hair, but other than that he didn't move. Mac put his lack of the gag reflex to use and slowly took Jack in deeper, swallowing around him a few times and moving forward until the head of Jack's cock hit the back of his throat.

"Fuck," Jack groaned, and he made a broken sound when Mac started bobbing his head, working him with his tongue and continuing to swallow around him.

His lips were sealed around the base of Jack's cock, and it felt incredible in his throat, just big enough to cut off his air if he moved it the right way. In any other situation he would have been enjoying himself more, but that just wasn't the case right now. He flinched when the microphone clicked on, and the voice spoke from the corner: "Choke him, Jack. I want to see him squirming and gasping on your cock."

Right now he felt exactly like the whore the voice had said he was and again - usually he might have enjoyed it, but right now it made his eyes fill with tears. He heard Jack exhale shakily and then his hips snapped forward, his grip on Mac's hair keeping him still while Jack's cock slid impossibly deeper, cutting off his air.

Mac tried to stay calm, squeezing his eyes shut so the tears didn't escape. Despite everything he trusted Jack implicitly, so when his body jolted because it needed oxygen he wasn't surprised at all that Jack pulled him off his cock so he could suck in a ragged gasp.

"Good, good," the voice said, and this guy was enjoying himself _way_ too much. "Now, Angus, you're going to take the ride of your life - and Jack is going to choke you while you do it."

Mac barely stifled a whimper because he was.... he was _tired_ and he didn't think he could do this much longer. He could if this was just them, sleeping together because they wanted to, but knowing Jack was only doing this under duress was killing Mac inside.

"Hey, you okay?" Jack asked softly, his grip on his hair loosening, and Mac just shook his head because there was no point in lying.

"Chop-chop, boys, hop on that bed and get on with it," the voice said. "And save your strength... you especially, Angus. Jack's far from being done with you."

That was almost enough to make Mac sob, but he choked it down, climbing on the bed with Jack and accepting the support when Jack wrapped an arm around his shoulders. He sat up against the headboard and Mac straddled his lap, biting the inside of his cheek when Jack removed the buttplug from his already abused entrance.

He sighed as he slid down on Jack's cock, the way eased by leftover lube and come. It felt... good and Mac couldn't help but moan softly, but at this point it was mostly a physical reaction. His wrists hurt, the rope digging into his skin, and he trembled a little as he tried to keep himself together. Knowing he had to start moving, he leaned in and kissed Jack, needing a distraction as he rolled his hips down and set up a slow pace, swallowing Jack's groans.

Jack settled one hand on his waist in an effort to help keep him balanced, and his other hand cupped Mac's cheek as he kissed him back with a surprising amount of tenderness. His fingers combed through Mac's hair before they slid down to his throat, gripping it lightly as Mac continued to rock his hips, a real sob leaving him when he found his prostate.

He broke the kiss when his lungs demanded air, but he didn't get a chance to breathe too much because a moment later Jack's fingers tightened around his throat. Mac's lips parted in a soundless moan and his body jolted, hips rolling down harder, and he gasped loudly when Jack let him breathe a moment later.

"Oh, this is fantastic," the voice purred, followed by some rustling. "But we don't want this to end too soon... Jack, put a ring on that pretty cock."

Mac hissed through his teeth at the thought of anything touching his oversensitive cock right now, but unless they would both like to be flopping on the floor like dying fish they didn't have much of a choice. He stayed still while Jack grabbed the cock ring and secured it, blinking back the tears in his eyes when he heard Jack whisper an apology. "Not your fault," Mac mumbled, and then he started moving again, trembling violently when Jack's hand squeezed his throat again.

It was almost too overwhelming and Mac let out a silent sob, barely stopping the tears from falling. He clenched around Jack's cock, making him moan loudly, his hips slamming up hard enough to make Mac bounce in his lap. He gulped in air when Jack let him and he whimpered when Jack thrusted up again, driving his cock even deeper into him and hitting his prostate.

"That's it, Jack," the voice rasped out from the speaker, the rustling in the background more audible, and it couldn't be more obvious that the guy was jerking himself off again while watching them. "Show him no mercy."

Instead of another sharp thrust, Jack gripped Mac by his hips and lifted him off his cock, pushing him on his back. Mac groaned when it put pressure on his wrists tied behind his back, but then Jack was between his legs, pushing inside him in one, smooth glide, and he started fucking him hard and fast, fingers tightening around Mac's throat again and choking him.

Jack was probably thinking along the same lines - the quicker they got this over with, the better - but the pace was brutal and rough and it _hurt_ _._ Mac was determined not to give the guy watching them the satisfaction of seeing him break down, so he stared sightlessly at the ceiling and let Jack pound into him. He kept his hand tight around Mac's throat until he started to black out and then he let him breathe... and slammed inside one last time, coming hard.

He bit down on Mac's shoulder and groaned loudly, and Mac sobbed quietly, arching off the bed a little as he felt Jack's warm come fill him up. He was still hard to the point of it being painful, but he couldn't do anything about it with his hands tied and the damn ring around his cock. Eventually Jack stopped moving, his hips stilling, and he collapsed on top of Mac, breathing heavily against his shoulder. Mac made a pained sound, his arms pinned under both their bodies, and Jack pulled out when he heard it, rolling off to the side.

"If you two think you're done, you're wrong," the voice said, and Mac wanted to vomit. Or scream. Or both. "Jack, once you catch your breath, grab the dildo from the box and put it inside Angus. Then fuck him with it. _Hard._ "

Mac whimpered softly and rolled away from the camera, curling up on his side, not caring about the tears rolling down his cheeks. "Fuck, Mac," he heard Jack whisper in a broken voice, and then he was being pulled into a hug, his face pressed into Jack's throat. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

Mac couldn't muster any words so he just nodded, sucking in a shaking breath and trying to focus on the way Jack's holding him. "We're gonna get out of here, okay?" Jack continued lowly... and then he kissed Mac's forehead. "We've just gotta get through this."

That soft press of his lips didn't make any sense, because Jack didn't care about him this way, but maybe he was just trying to comfort Mac in any way he could . "It hurts," he whispered quietly, the words out of his throat before he could stop them. He immediately regretted it because the last thing he wanted was to make Jack feel guilty, but he was just... so damn tired.

"Shit," Jack muttered, and he sounded close to crying himself. He carded his fingers through Mac's hair, and then reluctantly pushed him away, knowing that the voice was going to speak up if they didn't get on with this. Mac just stayed where he was, staring at the wall with the camera and the secret door... and an idea began to form in his mind.

He hung on to it as Jack slid the lubed dildo into his body inch by inch.

* * *

"Riley, _please,_ tell me you found something," Matty said, walking into the war room, sounding more worried than Riley had ever heard her.

"Actually," she started, typing in her keyboard. "I do have something. And that something is the identity of the guy who most likely grabbed Jack at the airport and then Mac in that cafe." A few more key strokes and a picture showed up on the big screen. "Meet Richard Larson."

"Well, he looks charming," Russ said with the particular sarcasm that only the British had. "And what is Mr. Larson's problem in life?"

"Well, he was forced into joining the Navy when he was eighteen to avoid going to prison for grand theft auto," Riley replied. "And that was only the start of his troubles. He got kicked _out_ of the Navy for sexual assault, complete with a dishonorable discharge, and that was when he went to jail and met this guy." She threw another picture up on the screen. "Albert Hale. He's who Larson was texting at the cafe."

"And who the hell is he?" Matty asked, glaring at the screen, and Riley could already tell that if Matty got her hands on those two men, they were not going to live for long.

"See, here's where it gets tricky," Riley said, leaning back in her chair. "He went to jail also for sexual assaults and also a couple other things... but I found no record of him before his jail time. I don't think this is his real name and I'm running facial rec to see if we can find more identities connected to this lovely face." As if on cue Riley's computer chimed, and when she read what was on the screen she went cold all over. "Oh no."

"What is it?" Desi asked, sitting down on the arm of her chair and setting her hand on Riley's shoulder. "Riles? Tell us."

"Albert Hale's real name is Abel Henry... and before he went to jail for sexual assault under his new name..." She took in a deep breath. "He forced two people to make pornography. He... he kidnapped them and then livestreamed it to the dark web."

Everyone fell completely silent and Riley tried not to get sick as she wondered if that psycho had forced Jack and Mac to do the same. "Riley, you... you don't think..." Bozer started, voicing what everybody was probably thinking, and Riley swallowed hard.

"I don't know," she said quietly. "I'm... I'm gonna try and trace his phone, and..." She took a deep breath. "I'm gonna search the dark web for any live streams."

"Okay, but wait a second," Russ said, standing up and pacing in front of them. "Why them? Again, I guess they could've watched Angus, but... how on earth did they know who Dalton was and that he was coming home today?"

"As much as it pains me to admit it, Russ has a point," Desi said, her thumb rubbing over Riley's collarbone through her AC/DC shirt. "If these two psychos wanted to do this, they could've picked anybody in the city, or the country for that matter - why Mac and Jack?"

"I think our first guess was correct and they were watching Mac," Matty mused, and even she looked rattled by what Mac and Jack could potentially be enduring right now. "But why did they pick Jack and not one of us? And like Russ just said, how did they know Jack was coming home? _I_ was the only one here who knew."

"Maybe they hacked into... somewhere and stole that information?" Bozer suggested, but Matty shook her head.

"Impossible," she said. "That information was highly classified and not put into any system. Plus those two don't really strike me as hackers _and_ it wouldn't explain why they wanted Mac and Jack instead of anyone random."

"What if..." Russ suddenly started. "What if someone _paid_ them to grab Dalton and Angus? And gave them all the necessary information?"

"That's... _really_ fucked up," Desi said, her tone gone tight with anger. "But I can think of someone we all know who's twisted enough to do that."

"Murdoc," everyone said in unison except for Russ, who looked around in confusion.

Before he could ask the obvious follow up question, the door to the war room opened and James MacGyver walked through it. "Matty, where the hell is my son?"

Riley felt her lips part in surprise and when she looked around she saw everyone had pretty much the same reaction. It had been a long while since any of them saw James - before Phoenix had gotten disbanded - and as far as they knew, he had been off searching for Mason. He looked... good, better than before which meant what they had heard was true and that he had come out victorious in his battle with cancer.

"Jim, what are you doing here?" Matty asked, and while it was rare to see her surprised, now she was definitely caught off guard.

"Angus is missing," James said quietly. "Where else would I be?"

To Riley's relief, Russ didn't make a big deal about the former Oversight barging into the war room, only looked at all of them and asked, "Who the bloody hell is Murdoc?"

"He's kind of like Mac's nemesis," Bozer supplied, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "But this is convoluted even for him... and he's always tried to get Mac _away_ from Jack, not push him closer."

"What about Nikki?" the question left Riley's mouth before she could think twice, and everyone's eyes locked on her. "What? Once she figured out Mac had no interest in crawling after her... I wouldn't doubt she'd come up with some kind of twisted revenge."

"That... is possible, actually," Matty said slowly. "Theoretically, she could've somehow accessed the information about Jack coming back... and she definitely wouldn't hesitate to use that kind of intel."

"Can you trace the money, Riley?" James asked, not looking surprised about Jack being back which means he had either known or was just hiding his real reaction. "Following the money usually works."

"Yeah, I can do that," Riley said, and starts typing again, sliding into the mindset she knew best - hacking. She was aware of Desi and Matty catching James up on what he had missed, and out of the corner of her eye she saw him go pale when they described the track records of these two scumbags. Her fingers flied, and then she found paydirt. "I've got it! Looks like Nikki went and established a shell corporation that transferred money directly into Larson's account."

"You know, I never met her, but I'm gonna break some bones when I get my hands on that little bitch," Desi said darkly, and Riley pushed away the thought about how hot that was.

"Okay, how do we find her and those psychos?" Bozer asked. "Any luck with the live stream?"

"No," Riley replied. "I haven't found anything yet, but... it might be a good thing?" She looked up and glanced at everyone. "Whatever is happening to them, at least the world isn't watching."

* * *

Jack's self-esteem had never been spectacular, but right now if he had access to a gun he would shoot the bastard keeping them in this room and then eat a bullet of his own. He had his face pressed against Mac's shoulder, counting the moles and freckles on his skin in a never-ending loop as he fucked him relentlessly with the dildo, listening to his little broken sounds and just wanting to end it all. He wanted to grab the cock ring and take it off, but knew he couldn't, not until he was told - otherwise he would get shocked from the inside and be useless to Mac when they got their break.

Mac was trembling violently against him, his hands twitching, tied behind his back. Jack knew he had hurt him earlier - he had been following the commands, but he had also lost control at one point, brutally chasing his orgasm, and he hated himself for it.

Right now he tried to be gentle, but whenever he slowed down the voice cheerfully ordered him to fuck Mac harder. "Oh, this is such a lovely picture," the voice drawled a moment later, just as Mac let out a broken sob. "Angus, if you could only see yourself... makes me want to join you and take you for a spin myself." Jack tensed when he heard that, but he bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from talking back. "How does it feel, Angus? Being reduced to a worthless slut?"

To Jack's surprise, Mac spoke up: "Just dandy. The only thing that would make it better is if I could electrocute _you_ from here." His voice was so unlike him, caustic and _pissed_ , that it made Jack startle. He also braced for pain... but it didn't come. Silence answered him, and Mac didn't like that. "What, no balls all of a sudden? Cat got your tongue, fuckface?"

When the psycho spoke again, his voice sounded much darker. "You're going to regret talking to me like that," he growled, and Jack's blood turned to ice because all those psychos were the most dangerous when they got emotional like that. "Jack... go _harder_. Ruin him, make him cry and beg you to stop..." He trailed off before he chuckled. "If you don't, I'm going to kill him."

Jack froze for a second, and when Mac lifted his head and met his eye, he knew he had some kind of a plan - the question was whether they would be able to execute it before they both died. "Oh, you won't do that," Mac drawled, sitting up, unable to hide the pain on his face when he did so. "The person who paid you wants me to suffer, but she doesn't want me dead... does she? In fact, I'd bet that was one thing you were ordered _not_ to do." He looked directly at the camera, face a blotchy, wet mess, and Jack had never been more in love with him than he was right now. "Isn't that right, Nikki?"

Jack's jaw pretty much hit the mattress and he knew he probably looks like a dumb, wide-eyed fish, but he couldn't help it. The dildo had slipped out of Mac when he had sat up, so Jack tossed it away, still trying to recover from the revelation, anger slowly replacing the shock. "Hello, Mac," a different voice said, a very familiar one. "I hope you're enjoying yourself," Nikki continued, a smile audible in her voice. "How did you know?"

"It took me a while to figure it out," Mac said, and he smiled too, but it was all teeth. It was actually an expression Jack had worn many times before, and that was probably where he had learned it. "But that's why you wanted to keep me busy, because you _knew_ I'd figure it out." He turned a little toward Jack, who hesitantly removed the cock ring, expecting retribution - but none came. "I know you won't kill me, and _you_ should know that if you hurt Jack again I _will_ find you and break your fucking neck... so what happens next?"

Jack did his best to ignore the sudden warmth in his chest that flared up when he heard Mac being so... protective of him. Maybe there was some hope left that this didn't ruin their friendship beyond repair, maybe they could recover from this. He untied Mac's hands and watched him massage his wrists, rubbing the circulation back in while the speaker stayed quiet.

Suddenly Mac gasped, clearly in pain, and he fell back on the mattress, curling in himself. "You're right, I won't kill you," Nikki said, her voice dark. "But nothing is stopping me from shocking you, just strongly enough to cause you pain." She laughed. "And if Jack doesn't want you to suffer this way... he'll get back to what he was doing."

"Jack," Mac gritted out, writhing against the bed, fingers digging into the comforter. He was speaking so lowly that Jack could barely hear him, and he wasn't sure how he could even breathe through the pain. "You've wanted to punch a wall since we got here, right?" When Jack nodded, Mac's eyes flicked up toward the camera and microphone set up in the corner near the ceiling. "You've got one shot - better make it count. Signal's... coming from there."

Jack stared at Mac for a second, the words registering in his head, and then he glanced at the camera and microphone. They were too high for him to reach from the floor, but if he threw something at them... it should be enough to knock them off the wall. Mac groaned loudly in pain and Jack knew he needed to hurry, so he frantically looked around, searching for anything useful... and his gaze fell on a heavy-looking small metal figurine, serving as a decoration.

He grabbed the figurine off the floor, and didn't realize in the moment that he had to rip it _out_ of the floor to use it, or that the secret door opened - he was too worried about Mac. It must have been acting as some kind of switch for the door, though, and had been hidden by the fluffy comforter until they had made a mess of the bed. He threw the figurine as hard as he could at the camera and microphone, making a triumphant sound when the electronics got smashed and clattered to the ground.

Mac sucked in a huge breath next to him, rolling on his back and staring at the ceiling. His hand rose in a shaky thumbs up. "Good job." From Mac's reaction Jack assumed that it had worked and that it was impossible to shock them anymore, but since he had also got the door open... it meant someone could show up very soon.

Moving as quickly as he could, Jack got dressed and then he picked up Mac's clothes as well, putting them on the mattress. "Alright, Mac, we have to move," he said. "Think you can sit up?" Exhaling shakily, Mac nodded, so Jack gently grabbed him by his shoulders and tugged until Mac was sitting on the edge of the bed. "Here," Jack murmured, grabbing Mac's jeans and crouching down to help him put them on.

Mac accepted his assistance without flinching away from his touches, which Jack too, as a small victory, and once he was all dressed Jack gave him his leather jacket to wear. They had no shoes or weapons, but Jack grabbed the figurine from where it had landed in the corner, then looked at the door.

"Wait," Mac said, his voice small. He was standing now, one hand feeling at a spot near his hairline. "They injected us with microchips - we need to cut them out, or they'll just be able to shock us again when we get close enough."

"What?" Jack breathed out, looking over his shoulder at the door, and walking back to Mac when he decided the coast was clear for now. "That... doesn't sound safe."

"We're both capable of doing it," Mac said quietly, but he didn't sound crazy about the idea either. "But it's going to be painful."

"Okay, but we don't even have-" Jack started, but stopped talking when Mac pulled out his Swiss knife out of his pocket. "Why wouldn't she take that from you?"

"I don't know, but I didn't even notice it was here," Mac replied, his voice gone high and tight, on the verge of hysteria. "I just... went along with her twisted little game." He snapped the blade open with shaking hands and then stilled, hanging his head in shame. "I'm sorry, Jack... I'm so sorry. I should've tried harder to figure something out, instead of... of- "

"Hey, hey, listen to me," Jack said, grabbing Mac by his shoulders and trying to catch his eye. "It's okay. It wasn't your fault and... it's okay, Mac," he continued, trying to ignore the sick feeling spreading through him. It was clear Mac wished none of it had happened - understandable, Jack wished that too because no matter how much he loved Mac, the way things had happened was awful. He also felt guilty because he had _hurt_ Mac and it didn't matter he had been forced to do so, it didn't make him hate himself any less.

Mac stared at the floor for a moment before he nodded, the movement jerky and reluctant. "Can you...?"

"Yeah, of course," Jack murmured, amazed that their nearly telepathic bond was still intact. He took the knife from Mac and pushed aside his hair, finding the irritated spot where the chip had been injected. "Just hold still for me, okay?"

Mac nodded again and after taking a deep breath, Jack pressed the blade against his skin. Mac hissed in pain, but stayed still, tensing as Jack cut a small line, hoping the chip hadn't been injected too deeply. He could feel it with his fingers as he pressed them against Mac's skin and after some squeezing and sticking the blade under his skin, Jack managed to get the chip out of Mac.

It was tiny, no bigger than Jack's pinky nail, and he dropped it to the floor and crushed it under his heel. Then he handed the knife to Mac and braced himself, swearing under his breath when Mac dug the tip of the knife into a similar spot near Jack's hairline. He got the chip out and crushed that one too, then put the bloodied knife back in his pocket.

"Stay behind me," Jack said softly, brandishing the figurine like a weapon, and they headed into the darkness of the secret door.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, guys!
> 
> This chapter is a little shorter... but I promise we will make it up to you in the next ones! ♥
> 
> We hope you like it!

"Sweet Jesus," Russ muttered, as Desi took another sharp turn, driving well over the speed limits, but she ignored him, keeping her eyes on the road. After finding where the money had come from, Riley had managed to track down an address of a warehouse connected to the shell company Nikki had created. It was the only lead they had, so here they were, driving toward the warehouse and Desi just hoped they weren't too late. Russ continued swearing in the passenger seat - which would have been amusing if the circumstances had been different - but James stayed silent in the backseat, staring pensively through the window.

"Why would Nikki do this?" he asked suddenly, still looking at the rapidly-passing scenery. "Not get revenge on Angus, I understand that part - but _this_ specifically? Why get Dalton involved?"

"Maybe she was jealous," Desi said, and Russ looked vaguely alarmed that she was speaking and driving at the same time. "I haven't seen them in action, but I know from you guys that Jack and Mac make one hell of a team, _and_ they're best friends. Maybe she resented that."

"Maybe, but... why now though?" James wondered out loud. "The last time she had contact with them was years ago, when Thornton turned out to be a traitor. And Angus and Dalton haven't even worked together in the last two years." He sighed. "If she was jealous of Angus's relationships, it would've made more sense to kidnap you, Desi," he said after a moment, and Desi glanced in the rearview mirror to meet his gaze. "After all, you two were together for a while."

"Yes, but Desi's a woman," Russ said, grabbing the handle above the window as Desi steered them around another sharp curve. She cut him a vicious look, and he met her gaze. "Hear me out. I don't know much about this Nikki, but she seems like the type that would _hate_ the idea of another woman getting anywhere near Angus. Dalton, on the other hand... he's the other half of an extremely important relationship in Angus's life. Forcing them to do this would drive a wedge in that relationship without Nikki having to endure the rage she'd feel about you getting your claws into Angus. Metaphorical claws. Obviously."

"Taylor may have point," James said, the pensive look back on his face. "She wanted to hurt Angus, so she decided to force him to do... this," his voice cracked a little, "with a person important to him, but... not in a romantic way. Like Taylor said, this way she would destroy a relationship Angus cares about without being jealous about the feelings." He exhaled. "Only I'm afraid she miscalculated."

"Yeah, I was about to correct Taylor too," Desi said, meeting James's eye in the rearview mirror again. "Mac's been in love with Jack for years."

"What? Seriously?" Russ asked, choking as his seatbelt hit his throat when Desi slammed on the brakes in front of the warehouse. "What about Dalton? Does he feel the same way?"

"I think so," James replied, and then his eyes tracked someone sprinting away from the warehouse. "Desi? We've got a runner."

"DB and his boys will take care of that," Desi said, and sure enough, the tac team's huge truck pulled up behind them and the tac team guys jumped out and started chasing the running man. "Hopefully that means they got out and Jack's working his magic," she muttered, eyeing the warehouse.

"If you're referring to the kind of magic that I was on the receiving end of a couple of times, then yes, I hope you're right," Russ said, and they all drew their guns and headed inside. Desi led the way and soon they found themselves in a dark, narrow corridor, moving quietly, and Desi tensed when she heard something. They creeped closer to what looked like a control room, big screens on the walls, and they stopped just around the corner.

"-want to know why I did this?" a female voice asked - Desi assumed it was Nikki. "I wanted to show you something you always refused to believe - that Jack is nothing but a monster."

"Well, the joke's on you," Mac's voice said, and he sounded... exhausted, and angry in a way that Desi had never heard before. "I still don't believe that, because it's not true. So if you want to shoot us, then do it already."

Desi peeked around the corner and saw that Nikki's back is to her, so she creeped up quickly behind her and pressed the barrel of her gun into her spine. "Drop your gun, bitch. Now."

Nikki tensed and inhaled sharply, and when she didn't move Desi pressed her gun into her back harder until Nikki eventually lowered her weapon. Desi focused all of her attention on her, not wanting Nikki to try something and catch her off guard, but she was aware of James and Russ also stepping into the control room.

"Dad?" she heard Mac ask quietly, his breath hitching, and when Nikki was handcuffed and lying on the floor, Desi glanced up... and damn, Mac did sound exhausted, but he looked even worse.

"Hi, son," James said, and made a surprised sound when Mac launched himself at his father, hugging him tightly and burying his face in his shoulder.

Seeing that he was in good hands, Desi approached Jack, raising an eyebrow when she saw the Mickey Mouse figurine clutched in his hands. He looked as bad as Mac did, deep lines around his eyes and mouth. "You okay, Dalton?"

"Not at all," he muttered before the corner of his lips twitched up in a weak smile. "Good to see you, Dez." She smiled back and stepped closer, hugging him gently since she wasn't sure if he was injured or not. She pulled back when she felt Jack tense and then she saw Russ approaching them. "Taylor," Jack said quietly, his voice dropping to that low, dangerous rumble that Desi remembered from the time when they had worked together.

Russ nodded, holstering his weapon. "Dalton," he replied, tone neutral. "Are you two all right? Do I need to call for an ambulance?"

Mac stepped away from his father, dragging a hand over his face, which gleamed wetly in the fluorescent lighting. "I think I need to see a doctor," he admitted, and Jack blanched. "But I'd rather go to the Phoenix for that."

"Fair enough," Russ replied, and put a surprisingly gentle hand on his shoulder. "Think you can manage the walk to the car?"

Mac nodded and slowly started walking, disappearing in the hallway along with James who was watching him like a hawk. Russ in the meanwhile grabbed Nikki by the shoulders and yanked her up to her feet. "Come on now, dear," he said, voice laced with sarcasm. "There's a lovely cell at the Phoenix with your name on it."

Nikki only rolled her eyes in response, but had no other choice than to move when Russ started dragging her toward the exit, leaving Desi alone with Jack who was staring blankly at the door.

"Jack?" she asked softly, and his gaze snapped to her. "What happened?"

"You... really don't want me to tell you," Jack said, and to her alarm his eyes filled with tears. "Let's just say I don't think Mac and I are gonna be hanging out anytime soon."

Desi accepted that with a nod - they both might have wanted some distance after what had happened - and walked with him toward the exit. "Look, Jack... I know it's none of my business," she started, hands shoved in the pockets of her leather jacket, "but while you were gone, Mac talked about you almost nonstop... even when we were dating. I think if you cut him some slack, you might be surprised by what happens."

"Not this time, Desi," Jack replied quietly, his voice shaking, but Desi didn't call him out on it. "It's... there's no coming back from some things."

Desi wanted to protest, tell Jack that he was wrong, but she figured now was not the time for that. When they got outside, they found Russ and James waiting by the SUV... Mac nowhere to be seen.

"The tac team took Nikki and our running friend back to the Phoenix... and Angus went with them," James clarified, watching Jack with concern in his eyes.

Disappointment flashed on Jack's face, but he hid it quickly. "Okay then," he said, clearing his throat. "Think I might head home, then."

"Yeah, that's gonna be a problem," Desi said, wincing a little. When he looked at her in confusion, she elaborated, "Your lease ran out while you were gone, so we moved all your stuff to Mac's place."

"Is _that_ why it looks like my hoarding grandma lives there?" Russ mused, eyes widening when Jack glared at him. "Right, shutting up now."

"Right, so... I guess I'll go to a hotel, try to figure my living situation out," Jack said, rubbing his eyes tiredly, and Desi was about to protest, but James beat her to it.

"Jack, don't be stupid," he said gently. "Come with us to the Phoenix. You could also get checked by the medical." He glanced at Russ, basically daring him to say he didn't agree, but Russ stayed silent. "Riley's waiting for you."

Jack hesitated, but the prospect of seeing Riley won him over. "Fine, okay." They all piled into the car, and this time Russ sat in back with James while Jack took the passenger's seat. The ride back to the Phoenix was silent but not as awkward as Desi had expected it to be, and when they arrived Riley was waiting for them in the parking garage.

Desi glanced at Jack and his face crumpled when he saw Riley, and he was out of the car before it even completely stopped. Riley also rushed toward him and lunged herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck while Jack pressed his face into her hair, hugging her so tightly her ribs must have creaked. Desi couldn't help but smile because she knew how much Riley had missed Jack and how worried she had been about him, so she was happy they were finally reunited.

"His job is here if he wants it," Russ said when they got out of the car, and glanced at James. "Yours too, although I suspect we'll see you at work before we see Dalton."

"He deserves some time off," Desi agreed, and walked over only when Riley beckoned for her, immediately reaching for Desi's hand. Jack's eyebrows shot up to his hairline, and Desi smiled sheepishly. "Might've forgotten to mention this."

Jack stared at her for a few seconds, his expression unreadable, and while Desi was technically not afraid of Jack she found herself waiting nervously for him to say something. After a moment he smiled and she exhaled in relief, smiling back when he patted her shoulder. "I'm happy for you two," he said, and Desi could tell he meant it.

"Come on, let's get you up to medical," Riley said, taking Jack's hand with her free one, and they all headed for the elevator. When they arrived in the medical department Desi was fully expecting to see Mac... but he wasn't there.

Bozer and Matty were, though, and they were both reading something from a piece of paper on one of the beds. "Guys?" James asked, worry back in his voice. "Where's Angus?"

Matty turned to look at them, and once glance at her face told Desi something wrong had happened. "First of all, good to see you Jack," Matty said softly, and then she sighed. "And second... when the tac team got back, DB told us Mac came with them and headed to the medical, so we came here to check on him."

"We found this," Bozer said quietly, and walked up to them, handing Jack the note, and Desi moved closer to read over his shoulder.

_Dear... well, everyone_ , the note started, Mac's wry sense of humor bleeding through. _I had the docs check me out and I'm okay, but I need some time alone to get my head on straight. I had DB get me a new phone, so you can get in touch with me... but I might not get back to you right away. Love you guys - Mac._

Desi exhaled, her heart heavy because if Mac had chosen to run like that, whatever had happened at the warehouse must have been really bad. She didn't miss the way Jack's hands started trembling, the letter along with them, so she put a gentle hand between his shoulder blades - she wasn't great at comforting others, but she had gotten better since getting together with Riley and for Jack she was willing to try.

"Well, I guess that means he didn't go home,” James said with a sigh. "Should we... look for him?"

"Maybe give him a few days," Russ suggested, and Desi hadn't realized he was reading over Jack's other shoulder. "It seems like he needs the time... besides, Riley can always track his phone."

"This sucks, man," Bozer said, staring down at the floor. "I want to help him, but... it doesn't seem like that's what _he_ wants."

Jack still hadn't said anything, staring at the letter, and Desi had to admit, she had never seen him in a state like this. "Guys, could you give me and Jack a minute?" Matty suddenly asked, and while everyone looked at her in surprise, they slowly started walking out of the room. Desi was the last one to leave, glancing at Jack one more time before stepping outside, hoping that whatever Mac was going through was not going to break him... and his relationship with Jack.

* * *

Jack sat down on the bed in medical in a daze, the world around him wavering at the edges. Part of him couldn't believe that Mac had just _left_... but another part understood the impulse to run, to put distance between himself and what had happened, between _them_. He rubbed a hand over his haggard face and felt Matty's eyes on him. "What is it, Matty? Afraid I'm gonna lose my last marble?"

"Of course not, Jack," Matty said, and he heard her walk up closer. "I just wanted to ask how you're doing."

Jack couldn't help but laugh at that, a bitter, caustic sound. "Oh, I'm just perfect," he said, rolling his eyes. "Having the time of my life, isn't it obvious?"

Matty was quiet for a moment, and just as Jack was about to apologize for snapping at her, she said, "I can't say I know what you're going through... but I think a little time apart will do both of you some good. Try to refrain from going after him for a few days - Taylor was right about that, as much as I hate to admit it - and maybe things will be better when you see each other again."

"I don't think we're going to see each other again," Jack whispered, his heart clenching painfully as his eyes filled with tears. "I... he doesn't want anything to do with me, Matty."

"I find that hard to believe," Matty said softly, squeezing his knee. "Jack, he missed you so much while you were gone."

"Maybe," Jack sniffled, wiping his cheeks angrily when he felt the tears fall. "But after what happened... it was bad, Matty."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Matty asked, climbing up on the bed. She smiled reassuringly. "I promise I've had plenty of my own sexual misadventures."

Jack let out a watery chuckle and told her what had happened, leaving out some of the more graphic details. "I don't know how the hell Mac worked out it was Nikki," he said when he was done, sighing a little. "But I've never heard him sound like that. And I'm just terrified that... that I broke something I can't fix."

Matty was quiet for a moment and then she patted his thigh. "Jack, _you_ didn't break anything," she said softly. "You were just doing what you had to do to survive. You both were."

"Maybe, but it was me who..." Jack trailed off, swallowing hard. "I _hurt_ him, Matty," he choked out. "He was crying and you know how rare that is. For fuck's sake, he wanted to see a doctor _on his own_ , you know he usually avoids medical."

"You're right, dragging him here is usually impossible," Matty agreed. "But I also think that the only reason he chose to come here was to run away later. He planned this."

That... actually made sense, and while it didn't make Jack feel any better, maybe Mac wasn't seriously hurt. It hadn't seemed like it was _too_ bad back in the room, but Mac was also notoriously good at hiding pain. "Can you..." Jack started, pausing when his voice broke. "I know they aren't supposed to give out any medical info, but could you try and find out how... how bad it was? The docs won't tell me, but they might tell you."

"Yeah, I'll find out," Matty said softly before she smiled a little. "Everyone here is too scared of me to try and hide anything." Jack knew what she was doing and he did smile a little, but he still felt like someone had ripped his heart out and stepped on it. "Jack, it's going to be okay," Matty continued after a moment, squeezing his knee again. "I know it doesn't feel like it, but... he just needs time. There's a chance he thinks that _he_ is the one who broke things between you, so... you just gotta wait." She smiled again. "I know being in love with him doesn't help."

Jack froze. "Matty, I- " She held up a hand to cut him off. "We all know, Jack. Everybody except the person who _should_ know, which is Mac."

She gave him a parting pat before walking away to find a doctor, leaving Jack sitting there in stunned silence. He stared at the wall before he squeezed his eyes shut, wondering when or if this pain in his chest was ever going to subside.

Probably not until he saw Mac again.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, everyone!
> 
> Sorry for the delay in updating, but as most of you probably know, I wanted to post our Christmas fic during, well, Christmas :)
> 
> For those of you who haven't read it, Happy New Year!
> 
> We hope you like this chapter, there's one more after this and then we're done! But don't worry, Sammy and I have a lot of fics already written for you, waiting to be posted :)
> 
> Enjoy!  
> K.

Sighing, Mac rolled on his back and stared at the ceiling, the hollow feeling in his chest just as painful as it had been since he had run away from the Phoenix and his family.

And from Jack.

It had been three weeks since Mac had slipped out of medical, taken an Uber to his house, packed a bag, and then hopped into his truck. Even though he hadn't planned this, he had ended up at this small ranch about two hours away from Los Angeles, a place he had discovered a few months after Jack had left to look for Kovacs.

Mac had come here off and on during that time, but his longest stay had been after he and Desi had broken up. He had spent two months teaching remotely at the university and enjoying the quiet and solitude. This place reminded him so much of Jack's ranch in Texas with all the horses, but there was also a nightly bonfire and a grocery store about ten minutes down the road.

And speaking of the store, he needed to go there for some supplies, maybe grab a breakfast burrito from the ranch owners before heading out. He got out of bed, the soreness that had plagued him since he had left LA finally gone. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror on the back of the door, and noted that most of the bruises and bites Jack had left behind were gone too.

He wasn't really sure how he felt about that - mostly he was glad the reminders of what had cost him Jack were disappearing from his body, but a part of him had wanted Jack's marks on him for as long as possible since he would never get to have them again. Speaking of Jack, even though it had been three weeks, thinking about him still made his chest clench painfully and Mac couldn't help but wonder if that was ever going to stop.

He checked his phone and saw the usual text responses from his dad, Bozer, Desi, and Riley... but nothing from Jack. Even Russ and Matty had reached out to ask how he was doing, and he had expected that Jack might have at least left him a voicemail or something. That hadn't happened, and really, Mac couldn't blame him - what they had had to do wasn't something they could come back from. He got up and walked over to the dresser, pulling out some underwear and jeans... and that was when he heard a knock on the front door of his bungalow.

He frowned because he definitely wasn't expecting any visitors, but then he figured it was probably one of the owners wanting to check if he needed anything. He didn't bother putting on a shirt and padded to the door, opening it... and his heart almost stopped when he saw Jack on his doorstep.

He had shaved off the beard and buzzed down his hair, and he had a tray with two large coffee cups in one hand and a greasy paper bag that smelled amazing in the other. "Hey," he said when Mac didn't speak first, trying to smile but only half succeeding. "Held off as long as I could, but I had Riley track your phone. Want breakfast?"

Mac blinked at him, trying to figure out how to use words, and eventually his brain kicked back online. "Y-yeah, sure," he said, voice stuttering just a bit. "There are some tables outside, we could... eat there?" he suggested, and Jack nodded, the smile on his face turning a little more... smiley, as if he had expected Mac to kick him out. Forcing himself to get a grip, Mac grabbed a random t-shirt and put it on, and then he leaded Jack to a table under a tree nearby, with a great view at the ranch.

It was gorgeous outside, just like it had been nearly every day since Mac had gotten here. "This place is beautiful," Jack commented as they sat down. His eyes caught on the shirt Mac was wearing as he was handing him a coffee, and that was when Mac realized he had put on one of Jack's Metallica shirts that he had stolen while he had been gone. "That looks familiar."

He knew there was no point in denying the shirt was Jack's, so he sighed instead. "Yeah, I... I'm sorry, I just-"

"Mac, hey," Jack interjected softly, and when Mac risked glancing at him Jack didn't look mad. "I don't mind. I think it suits you." Mac couldn't help the way his cheeks burned lightly and he ducked his head, hoping Jack didn't notice. "So, how did you find this place?" Jack asked after a moment, and it was... pretty much the last thing Mac had thought Jack would have asked about.

"Looked around on the internet," was his response, and when Jack made a curious sound he continued, "After you left, I mean. I wanted somewhere I could just... get away, you know? I've given Rosa and Connor a lot of business over the past couple years." He watched as Jack opened the paper bag, mouth watering when he produced one of Mac's guilty pleasures: McDonald's breakfast sandwiches. "You remembered."

"Of course I did," Jack said softly, and Mac's heart fluttered, it couldn't help it. Not knowing how to reply to that without blurting out something stupid, Mac took a bite of his sandwich, barley holding back a moan.

They ate in silence, but it wasn't uncomfortably like Mac had thought it would have been... but eventually he couldn't take it any longer. "Jack, what are you doing here?" he asked quietly, unable to look at him and choosing to keep his gaze fixed on the horses in the distance.

Jack sighed, resting his elbows on the table and his face in his hands for a moment since they were done eating. "You know, I've been trying to come up with an answer to that question for the past three weeks... and I think I've gotta go with the truth." He looked at Mac for a moment... and then reached out slowly, putting a hand over Mac's where it was resting on the table. "I'm here for you, Mac. Because I... I love you."

Once again Jack said the last thing Mac had expected to hear - hell, that wasn't true because Mac had _never_ expected to hear that, and now he was pretty sure he either had misunderstood Jack or he was dreaming. "W-what?" he asked in a shaky whisper, turning his head to stare at Jack with wide eyes.

"And I know there's... no chance for you to feel that way about me," Jack continued, his voice breaking a little. "I accepted that a long time ago. For all I know you could be... I mean, you probably are straight and trying to figure out how to let me down gently, but don't worry about it, I... I get it. But I just needed you to know, I couldn't... lie to you any longer."

"Jack, I... I'm not straight," Mac started, letting out a slightly hysterical laugh. He turned his hand over slowly, lacing their fingers together, squeezing hard to make sure this was real. "I'm bi, and I should've probably told you that when this all started." He paused, chewing on the inside of his cheek as he considered his next words. "And... I love you too. I have for a long time."

It was Jack's turn to stare at Mac in shock, his eyes huge and lips parted, and it looked like he wanted to say something, but couldn't. "You... you do?" he breathed out, also tightening his fingers around Mac's. "But... why?"

"Because you came back for me," Mac whispered, swallowing around the lump in his throat. "Back in the Sandbox, remember? Nobody had ever done that before, and... I'd kinda had a crush on you before that, even though all you could talk about was leaving. But in that moment I just... knew." He looked down at their joined hands. "I was terrified that you'd figure it out and leave, but... I managed to hide it."

Jack made a choked sound in the back of his throat. "You were... so damn beautiful," he said quietly, and when Mac glanced at him Jack was looking ahead, eyes fixed on the horizon. "You drove me insane and yet I was so drawn to you... made me hate myself." Mac made a sound that was half question and half protest because he didn't like hearing Jack talk about himself like that. "Not only was I lusting after a beautiful guy that was fifteen years younger than me, I also knew I was falling in love with him." He swallowed hard and when he turned his head to look at Mac, his eyes were full of pain. "And such a ray of sunshine deserved much more than all that darkness inside me. He still does."

Mac might have not been sure where the hell their relationship stood right now, but he couldn't just sit by and do nothing while Jack suffered. He stood up, coming around the table to sit on Jack's bench, still holding his hand tightly. "Jack, I... I know you've done terrible things," he said softly, before cautiously raising his other hand to touch Jack's cheek. "And I know there's darkness inside you... but that doesn't mean you don't deserve happiness, or love, or... or _me,_ if that's what you want." His thumb moved on its own, rubbing at the delicate skin under one of those gorgeous brown eyes. "Just because you've done bad things doesn't mean you're a bad person. And I've seen the good in you. I see it all the time."

Jack was staring at him with wide eyes, looking at Mac like he had turned into a unicorn or something. "You... of course I want that," he whispered, leaning into Mac's touch. "I want you, I have for years, but..." He swallowed hard and turned his gaze away. "How can _you_ want that? After what happened and what... what I did to you?"

Mac used the hand he had on Jack's cheek to bring his focus back to him. "You didn't have a choice - _we_ didn't have a choice - but now we do," he said, scooting a little closer, so their thighs were pressed together. "And for the record, most of what happened... I would've been okay with it if it'd just been you and me."

Jack continued staring at him and Mac tried not to get distracted by how warm Jack's thigh was against his. "You... you would've?" he asked incredulously. "But I... I was-"

"Jack, I don't mind rough," Mac interjected, his cheeks burning. "Not with anyone, obviously, but... I don't mind with you."

"There's a difference between not minding something and liking it," Jack pointed out, his voice weak with shock. He wrapped his fingers around Mac's wrist, gently tugging his hand off his face so he could inspect where the bruises from the ropes had faded to a dull yellow. "And... and I don't know if I'd be up for that again."

"And that's completely okay," Mac said softly. "If we're gonna do this - be together - then we can take it as slow as necessary." He smiled a little. "Whatever you're comfortable with, Jack, but..." He trailed off and chewed on his lower lip. "You think you'd be up for kissing me?"

"God yes," Jack blurted out, and then he _blushed,_ something Mac had never seen before but would very much like to again. "I mean... if that's something you want."

"Yeah, it is," Mac whispered, already leaning in, and he made a soft sound when Jack was the one to close the gap and press their lips together.

It felt... amazing, a million times better than three weeks ago, because this time nobody was forcing them to do this and they both knew where their relationship stood. Jack's arms wrapped around his waist and tugged him closer, one hand sliding up Mac's back and into his hair while their lips were parting and softly touching again.

Mac hooked an arm around Jack's neck and shivered when Jack's tongue licked into his mouth, pressing into the contact. His other hand framed Jack's jaw, feeling at the rough skin where he had stubble growing in, then up over his ear to squeeze the back of his neck. When they broke apart for air Mac blinked his eyes open slowly, hugging Jack tightly when he buried his face in Mac's neck. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Jack replied after a moment, his voice muffled. "I'm okay, I'm even more than okay, I just..." He exhaled shakily, his breath hot in Mac's skin. "I thought I lost you. I thought I broke our relationship beyond repair and I... I kinda expected you to tell me to go to hell today."

Mac ram a slow hand up and down Jack's back, hoping to soothe him. "Jack, I could never do that," he murmured, nuzzling at his temple. "You're too important for me to just... give up like that." He thought for a moment. "Want me to show you around the ranch? We could take a couple of horses for a ride, maybe do a picnic lunch up in the hills?"

"That sounds amazing," Jack murmured, and pressed a soft kiss to Mac's neck, trailing his lip up until he reached his cheek.

Mac couldn't help but shiver a little and he turned his head to catch Jack's lips in a sweet, chaste kiss before he pulled back and stood up. "Come on," he said, gathering the trash from the table and throwing it into a trash can. "I have to change before we go."

"Admit it, you stole that shirt from me," Jack said with a grin, also standing up and tugging on the hem of the t-shirt. "You little kleptomaniac."

"I took it when we moved your stuff to my place," Mac conceded, grabbing for Jack's hand and pulling him toward his bungalow. They go went and Mac headed for the dresser again, searching for an outfit that was more appropriate. "It still smelled like you, and I... I wore it to bed sometimes. After Desi and I broke up, I mean."

He took off the t-shirt and he sensed Jack coming up behind him, and a second later his arms wrapped around his waist. "Why didn't it work out?" Jack murmured, pressing a kiss to Mac's neck. "I mean, I'm not complaining for obvious reasons and I know she's dating Riley now, but... I'm curious."

Mac closed his eyes and leaned back against Jack, relaxing in his arms. "I guess it turned out we didn't have that much in common except for work," he said. "We weren't good for each other and things got... ugly."

"Mhmm... well, hoss, I hate to break it to you, but you and me don't have all that much in common either," Jack said, nuzzling behind his ear. "So what's gonna keep us from gettin' ugly too?"

"I think we're more compatible," Mac replied, turning in Jack's hold once he picked out his clothes, tossing them on the bed. "And we... talk. We always talk, about everything. Desi and I never did that."

"You have a point, we have the talking part down," Jack said, watching Mac with such a soft look on his face, eyes full of affection, that it took Mac's breath away.

He smiled and leaned in to peck Jack's lips. "Exactly. And you... you get how my brain works, better than anyone else." His smile widened. "Now let me go, I _am_ taking you out to show you around," he added, laughing when Jack mouthed at his jaw.

Jack pretended to pout, but the happy twinkle in his eye ruined the effect. "Okay, fine. I wanna meet the horses anyway." He wandered out into the front part of the bungalow while Mac got dressed, which was probably a good thing - some of his deeper bruises and abrasions hadn't healed yet on his lower half. He could ride a horse with minimal pain, though, and that was all he cared about right now.

Once he was all ready he locked up the bungalow and took Jack to the barn, where one of the stable boys was mucking out the stalls. "Hey, Johnny. Could we take Buttercup and Peaches out for a while? We're gonna stop by the house and make up a picnic."

"Sure thing, Mac, knock yourself out," Johnny said with a smile, and Mac tugged on Jack's hand, leading him to the horses.

Almost immediately Jack let go of his hand and smiled when Buttercup walked up closer to him, and he gently petted it. "Hey there, buddy," he murmured softly, and Mac would never get tired of watching Jack interact with horses. "How are you doin', huh?"

Buttercup was so named for his golden yellow mane and coat, and Peaches - who had taken a liking to Mac from the first time he had stayed there - was a mottled brown and orange, her dark eyes wide as she huffed and nudged his shoulder. "Hi, Peachy," he said, petting her neck. "You wanna go for a ride?"

She didn't reply, obviously, but she seemed happy Mac stopped by. They quickly saddled up the horses and Jack hoisted himself up with such an ease, immediately looking even happier when he was in the saddle. Mac braced himself and also got on Peaches, stifling a groan of pain, but he probably hadn't managed to hide a wince because Jack asked, "Hey, you good?"

"Yeah, of course," Mac replied. "Let's go."

They rode over to the main house, a sprawling structure that looked like it would have been more at home in Texas than California. When they got there Mac hopped off the horse again, and it was easier than getting on by a mile. He walked inside and hit up the communal pantry, making up some salami sandwiches with potato chips and cookies. He packed it all into a basket and left some cash on the counter so Rosa - one of the owners, who Mac usually spoke to in her native Spanish - could replenish the supplies. When he came back out to strap the basket to the back of Peaches’ saddle, he found Jack staring out at the scenery... and did some staring of his own.

Now that he knew he was _allowed_ to look at Jack like that, he was even more gorgeous if that was possible. It was warm, so he was wearing just a t-shirt that made his muscled chest and arms look even more impressive, and Mac couldn't tear his gaze away from Jack's throat and neck. "Like what you see?" Jack suddenly asked, not looking at him, but the corner of his mouth twitched up in a smirk.

"You know I do," Mac replied, climbing back up on Peaches and biting his tongue so he didn't swear out loud. Some things were still sore, but he tried to ignore it as he took the lead, heading toward the trails at a slow pace. "So, what kind of ride do you want?" he asked. "We can go up into the hills, or there's a pretty valley that's not from here either."

Jack thought about it for a moment. "How about the hills?" he eventually asked. "That sounds fun and... we could always do the valley next time, maybe... tomorrow?" he added, blushing again, and it was _adorable_.

"I'd like that," Mac said softly, his heart doing some ridiculous jumps in his chest. They rode in silence for a while, just admiring the surroundings, and Mac was surprised by how... happy he suddenly felt.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Jack broke the silence, and when Mac hummed he continued, "How did you figure out Nikki was behind everything?"

"Well, I've pissed off my fair share of people, but there were only a few I could think of who would be angry enough to do something like _that,_ " Mac started, and they were going up an incline now, but the path was wider so Jack could ride next to him. "At first I wondered if it was Murdoc, but then I realized that didn't make any sense - he'd lock me in a room with _him_ long before he'd trap me with you. Mason didn't fit either... and then when Larson got talking, he gave me just enough clues to think of Nikki."

"You're so amazing, you know that, right?" Jack said softly, and it was Mac's turn to blush now. "It didn't even cross my mind that she could be behind this." A pause. .What she said, about me being a-"

"No, Jack," Mac interjected right away, knowing where this was going. "You're not a monster." Jack fell silent, and Mac figured it was probably better to have this conversation once they were off the horses. They stopped at an overlook - not the one Mac was planning to have lunch at - and he hopped down off Peaches, waiting for Jack to do the same with Buttercup. "Jack, listen to me," he started, walking up until they were almost nose-to-nose. "Nikki was trying to get under your skin, and clearly it worked. You're the best person I know, and I know that you only did what you did because we thought we'd both die otherwise." He stopped to take a breath, looking at Jack with pleading eyes. "You tried to make it as... as good for me as you could. And I loved you for that."

Jack's face crumpled a little and Mac's heart cracked when he saw that. "There was one moment..." Jack started in a whisper, a pained look on his face. "I lost control, Mac, I... I pushed you on your back and I-" He cut off, his breath hitching, and Mac knew exactly which moment Jack was talking about. "It was rough and brutal, and I... afterward I could tell I really hurt you. You said it yourself back there." He swallowed hard. "And you're still clearly feeling some of it. You think I can't see that you're in pain and tryin' to hide it from me?"

Mac's eyes burned with tears and he put his hands on Jack's shoulders, tugging him into a hug. "It's almost gone," he whispered, and it should have scared him that Jack knew him well enough to see through all his facades... but it didn't. "Most of the time everything's fine." He hesitated. "I'm still having nightmares, though."

Jack tensed and stilled completely in his arms, and then he _whimpered,_ trying to pull back. Mac didn't let him go, though, and clung to him tightly. "Jack, no, wait," he gasped because Jack was _strong._ "It's... the nightmares aren't about you, not... exactly." He swallowed hard. "I'm not afraid of you."

"Then... then what _are_ they about?" Jack asked, his voice cracking, hands clenched into fists down by his legs. His muscles were hard under Mac's touch, and he was having some inappropriate thoughts, wondering exactly how strong Jack might have been.

"They're about... when I wake up in that room, everything is the same... except I'm not with you," Mac explained, resting his cheek against Jack's shoulder. "It's... it's a stranger doing all those things to me, or sometimes it's Murdoc... and I don't escape."

Jack exhaled shakily and didn't say anything, but after a moment he fractionally relaxed, his arms circling Mac's waist. "I've... also been having nightmares for the past three weeks," he murmured, and Mac wasn't surprised, he had expected this much. "But... mine _are_ about you, about me... hurting you even worse, going too far-" he choked out. "You dying."

Mac sighed when he heard that, pressing his face against Jack's throat and shutting his eyes. "I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere," he said softly, breathing in Jack's smell of leather and gunpowder. "And I don't want you to go anywhere either, you hear me? Maybe... maybe we could just stay here for a while? Did you take your job back at the Phoenix?"

"Not... exactly," Jack muttered. "Taylor keeps sayin' the job's mine if I want it... but like I said, I was pretty sure you'd want nothin' to do with me, so I didn't want to take it before discussing it with you first."

"Well, in case that wasn't clear already, I don't mind at all and... I would love if you came back," Mac said softly. "But only when and if you're ready because... I kinda have a feeling that what happened with us isn't the only thing that messed up your head."

Out of the corner of his eye Mac saw Jack smile, but it was a thin, brittle thing. "Yeah, you could say that. Bein' away from you all for two years was torture, and then everything with Kovacs..." He trailed off, then cleared his throat. "How about we get back on the trail, huh? Show me these hills of yours."

"Okay," Mac agreed, and kissed Jack's cheek before he pulled away. They climbed on the horses and set off again, riding for about an hour until they came to a rocky outcropping shaded by native trees. There was plenty of grass around for the horses to nibble on, and it was where Mac had been planning on them having lunch.

"Wow, it's... really amazing," Jack says quietly, looking around before he hopped off Buttercup. Mac also slid down to the ground and grabbed the basket, smiling when Jack immediately snatched it out of his hand, insisting on carrying it.

"I'm glad you like it," he replied, grabbing Jack's free hand and leading him under one of the trees. He grabbed the blanket from the basket and spread it on the grass, and they both sat down, watching the horses wander around. "I discovered this spot when I first came here and it's been my favorite ever since."

"It seems peaceful," Jack commented, and Mac hummed his agreement as he laid out all the food he brought. "Nice spread. Did you bring beer?"

"Of course I did," Mac said, feigning offense as he took two bottles out of the basket. "Wouldn't want you to get thirsty." He popped off the tops with his Swiss Army Knife and took a long pull off his own beer.

Jack thanked him and accepted the bottle, and they sat in silence for a while, just enjoying the beautiful weather and each other's presence, and Mac really didn't want to ruin Jack's good mood... but he was curious about something. "Jack?" he asked after a moment, and Jack hummed to show he was listening. "You... seem to have some kind of history with Russ."

Jack smiled a little, leaning back against the tree behind him. "What gave it away?"

"I was pretty out of it when we met up with everyone, but I remember the way you guys greeted each other," Mac said, mirroring Jack's positioning and unwrapping a sandwich. "It was... less than friendly."

"We had a couple of run-ins in the past, back when Taylor was heading up Spearhead Industries," Jack told him, taking a sip off his beer. "He was exactly the kind of guy I hated, at least back then... but it seems like he's trying to be better."

"Yeah, he's trying," Mac echoed, handing Jack a sandwich. "At least in theory." Jack made a questioning sound and looked at him curiously, so Mac elaborated, "I know better than to trust him completely just yet and assume he doesn't have a secret agenda or something."

"Well, if it turns out that he has, I'll happily punch him for you," Jack said, taking a bite of his sandwich and moaning a little.

Mac pushed any inappropriate thoughts out of his head and smiled. "What do I get a feeling that wouldn't be the first time?"

"Because it's not," Jack said around a mouthful of bread and meat. "We tussled a couple times, and he got some good licks in, but I came out on top."

"I could make a very inappropriate joke about you coming and topping," Mac commented, grinning when Jack choked on his food. "But I'll restrain myself. For could."

"I didn't know that side of you," Jack replied once he can breathe again, clearing his throat. "Although... I'm pretty sure at one point Taylor was interested in some hate fucking to get it out of his system."

Jack grinned mischievously when it was Mac's turn to choke now as he stared at him with wide eyes. "Seriously?" he asked, the single word more like a squeak as it left his lips. "I... didn't get that impression from him."

"Yeah, well, usually the manly-man types are compensating for something," Jack replied, and they lapsed into silence for a moment. "I'll tell you what I really didn't see coming - Riley and Desi. What's up with that?"

"I don't think anyone saw that coming, including them," Mac said, gladly getting rid of the image of Russ and Jack together from his head. "But... they started spending more time together once we got the Phoenix back and I guess one thing led to another." He shrugged, taking another sip of his beer. "You should've seen how nervous they both were about telling us about it."

Jack frowned. "Why? Did they think somebody would have a problem with it?"

"No... I think it had more to do with the fact that Desi and I had already dated," Mac said, munching on some potato chips. "Dez was probably nervous about dating another coworker, and Riley... well, I don't think Riley even knew she was bi until Desi came along." He finished eating and stretched, arms above his head and his eyes closed. "But I'm happy for them. Now we just need to find Bozer a girlfriend."

"What happened with Leanna?" Jack asked, and Mac could hear confusion in his voice.

"After Phoenix got disbanded she went back to the CIA," he explained, ignoring the slight anger he still felt when he thought about it. Technically he knew why Leanna had chosen to stay in their line of work, but he wished things had ended differently between her and Bozer. "Their relationship didn't survive that."

"That's too bad," Jack murmured. "Now that you want to pair everyone up, I guess we should find someone for Matty as well."

"That's not necessary," Mac replied, eyes still closed, and he smiled, about to drop another bomb on Jack. "Matty has a... thing with my dad. At least she did before we got disbanded, but I'm pretty sure it's still going on."

Jack's eyebrows climbed up to his hairline, and he let out a low whistle. "Wow, I... didn't see that one coming. You okay with that?"

"At first it was a little strange," Mac admitted, and god had he missed this, just being able to _talk_ to Jack about everything. "I never really pictured my dad with anybody but my mom. But now... he deserves to be happy, and so does Matty. So yeah, I'm good."

"Damn, they could film telenovelas based on our team," Jack said with a grin, and Mac laughed loudly because he has a point.

"I'd watch that," he said, unable to stop smiling. "Oh god, Bozer would totally direct that."

Jack chuckled again and then he shifted, moving to lie down on his back, looking at the sky and the tree they were under. It seemed like a great and comfortable idea, so Mac did the same, lying down next to him, so close their arms and shoulders were touching.

Jack sighed, but instead of being sad like before, it sounded... content. "I know I said this back in that room, but... I really missed you," he murmured, reaching out to cover Mac's hand with his own.

Mac smiled and laced their fingers together, giving Jack's hand a squeeze. "I missed you too," he said, staring up at the leaves on the tree, dappled by sunlight. "And... and despite everything that happened, I'm... I'm glad we finally told each other how we feel."

"Me too," Jack murmured softly. "I'm also glad that we talked about everything that happened before I left," he continued. "Don't you dare apologize again," he said teasingly, just as Mac was taking a breath to do just that. "We talked it over, we explained, we're okay now. I promise." He squeezed Mac's hand. "Let's just agree to... talk about stuff, just like we used to, instead of letting it bottle up."

"That's a great idea," Mac agreed before chewing on his lip for a moment. "In that case... whenever you're ready to talk about the Kovacs mission, I'll be here to listen."

"I should've known that was gonna come up," Jack said, his tone amused, but Mac didn't miss how his whole body tensed. "Look, it was... long and drawn-out and ugly, and it ended with me gutting him like a fish to make sure the job was done right this time." He paused. "I think that's part of the reason what Nikki said got to me so well."

"Jack, you did what you had to do," Mac said softly, turning his head to look at Jack and admiring his profile. "Besides, that's what the mission was about, right? Taking Kovacs out."

"That's true, but..." Jack trailed off, exhaling shakily. "That doesn't change the fact that the way we did things... it would make most people run for the hills." He continued staring up at the sky, but Mac doubts he was actually seeing it. "I fought the CIA on how they wanted to gather intel, though. I refused to hop in bed with people in order to get things out of them and secretly interrogate them, I... I used to do that a lot back in the day," he said, shame lacing his words. "But I couldn't do it again."

Mac blinked, his brain working overtime, and then he rolled on to his side so he was facing Jack. "Is _that_ why you were so upset about what happened between you and me?" he asked, and when Jack looked at him in confusion, he elaborated, "You saw yourself as a monster for having sex with me in there, even though we were under the impression it was the only way we could stay alive. I know you knew I was willing, but... maybe in your mind Larson's voice telling us what to do was like the CIA bossing you around."

"I... maybe you've got a point," Jack said slowly before turning his head to look up again. "Also, I... I didn't know if you were willing, not entirely. I mean... I knew you agreed to do that, but I was sure it was only because we needed to do this in order to survive. Like I said, I... I thought you were straight, so yeah, it felt like I... like I was takin' advantage of you." He sighed. "Just like I did with many people when I was at the CIA."

"You didn't take advantage of me, Jack," Mac said softly, letting go of Jack's hand to place his palm over his heart instead. "You were actually about as much of a gentleman as you could be given the circumstances, and... even though I thought it was just physical for you, I appreciated that." He leaned in and pressed a kiss to his cheek, lingering there for a moment. "And you never have to sleep with somebody for information again. I'll make sure of it."

Jack turned his head to look at him, their lips only an inch apart. "I love you so much," he whispered, a vulnerable look crossing his face. "I... I never felt that way about anyone and... I just need to know that if we're goin' to do this... I'll never let you go."

"That's more than fine with me," Mac whispered back. "And I love you too, just as much," he murmured before leaning in and closing the tiny distance between them.

This kiss was just as sweet as the ones they had shared back at the bungalow, and Mac smiled into it, framing Jack's face with his hands. His heart was so full of affection he felt like it might have burst, and when he pulled back his smile only widened. "Wanna get back on the trail? There's a couple more places I want to show you."

"Sure, baby," Jack said, and Mac's heart fluttered when he heard the endearment. Jack's eyes widened a little, as if he hadn't planned on using it and it had slipped out, and when Mac kept grinning at him, his cheeks flushed pink. Chuckling, Mac got up and grabbed Jack's hand to tug him to his feet, and they packed everything back into the basket, and headed toward the horses that were nibbling the grass not too far away.

Buttercup and Peaches were more than happy to get going again, and Mac leaded them further up the trail, around the top of the hill and down the other side. There was a small brook that ran along the path here, and it provided pretty scenery on their way back to the ranch.

By the time they arrived it was the middle of the afternoon, and Mac spotted a group of guests who looked like they were checking in at the main house... and on closer inspection, he recognized all of them.

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a comment if you enjoyed it ♥


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